Jay C Colburn II GOVT 7313/2/2011 The International Relations of Revolutions in the 21st Century Questions surrounding the origins, processes, and outcomes of revolutions have intrigued people for centuries. Scholars since the 19th century, and if various forms long before, have probed the inner workings of revolutions, the many intricate processes, structures, and individuals, involved in bringing about structural and/or social changes in a given country. There is no one universally agreed upon definition for revolution. While the definition continues to be debated by scholars, there is generally an understanding that there are two basic characteristics common to all revolutions: 1) the overthrow of an existing regime through extralegal means, and 2) the establishment of a new political and sometimes socioeconomic system by the new regime.1 Although revolutions may involve drastic changes in the political and often socioeconomic systems within a country, they can also have widespread international effects. Given the interconnectedness of the global economy in the 21st century, significant changes in political leadership, even without major socioeconomic changes, can have immediate and sometimes major impacts on world markets as well as regional stability and global alliances. Scholar Jeff Goodwin wrote a chapter titled "Is the Age of Revolutions Over?"2 History has answered that question; in the ten years since it was published, numerous revolutions have occurred throughout the world, the most recent being the string of uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) that led to the ousting of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak as well as Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in early 2011. These events provide an opportunity to 1 Katz, Mark N. 2001. "The International Dimensions of Revolution: An Introduction." In Revolution: International Dimensions. edited by Mark N. Katz. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press, p.5. 2 Goodwin, Jeff. 2001. "Is the Age of Revolutions Over?" In Revolution: International Dimensions. edited by Mark N. Katz. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. 1 scholars extracted patterns of events common among the revolutionary cases. The third generation of scholars' theories addressed structural aspects of revolutionary processes.Jay C Colburn II GOVT 731 3/2/2011 revisit and perhaps rethink the current dominant understanding of the origins. The second generation theories. which claimed that institutional imbalances brought about openings for the questioning and calling for the change of the status quo. and Russian (1917) revolutions. The first generation of the 1920s and 1930s approached revolution through theories of natural history. French (1789). the social institutional approach. The study of revolution in the social science can be broken down into four specific generations of theories used to understand and explain the causes and outcomes of revolutionary events. processes. and outcomes of revolutions. but there is still little attention paid to the international dimensions of revolutions. American (1776). mainly the English (1640). developed in the 1950s and 1960s. can be divided by their three different approaches: the psychological approach. From these comparisons. which focused on relative deprivation and frustration that would lead to mass uprisings. and popular uprisings. The common theme among these second generation theories is their searching for where and how revolutions occur. In these attempts to make more widely applicable frameworks for understanding revolutions in general. as opposed to the descriptive theories. and his and other scholars' (like Theda Skocpol) works have investigated the structural causes involved in state weaknesses. from decreasing support of the regime to government crisis and regime collapse to post-revolutionary power struggles. Barrington Moore understood that different types of societies experienced different types of change. which focused on the need for groups to have resource and organization in order for success. In the 2 . state/elite conflict. and the resource mobilization approach. These theories were mostly descriptive in nature and compared various revolutions. the increased and enhanced economic. p. economic. like NATO. not only between states but also the individuals and cultures of the states' populations. but revolutions can also affect international relations in major ways." In Revolutions: Theoretical. States may be weak due to international conflicts. much more detailed analyses of international relations in revolutions is given. 3 . Economic alliances. with particular attention to ideology and agency. As the 20th and century progressed. Goldstone. and ideology also frequently include aspects of international influence. Noted in the fourth generation literature is the observation that not only can international relations affect revolutions through political. like trade agreements. Mark Katz has named three effects that revolutions can have on international relations: 1) they can magnify the 3 See flow chart in Goldstone. have become constituent and dynamic aspects of everyday life. and social impacts. Belmont. elite conditions. and political ties. "The Comparative and Historical Study of Revolutions. 2003. It can be useful to conceptualize revolutions taking place in three main arenas whose conditions affect and are involved in its development: state and international conditions. providing an opportunity for opposition groups.13. as well as political-military alliances. all with a focus on revolutionary processes.Jay C Colburn II GOVT 731 3/2/2011 structural investigations of revolutions. The movement towards a fourth generation of theories provides a wide array of approaches for refining the current knowledge on revolutions. Exploring the structural aspects of the origins. Comparative. Jack A. edited by Jack A. A focus on agency. but it also has an understated but important role in elite and popular conditions as well. that the decisions of individuals can have important impacts. and historical Studies. understanding how these processes develop from origin to outcome. and popular conditions. CA: Thomson Wadsworth. and outcomes of revolutions helped uncover the more pronounced international role of revolutions. create shared interests and threats among otherwise independent countries. processes.3 The international dimension of revolutions is explicitly included as one of the main aspects of revolutions. social. Libya. and other countries. and does not intend to make any prognostications about the outcomes or long-term effects of these events. it will pay particular attention to the international dimensions of their revolutionary processes. Bahrain. and 3) other countries will fear the export of revolution to their countries. the processes of the revolutions. world powers such as the United States were put in a difficult situation. this paper will investigate the recent revolutions that have taken place in the North Africa as well as the massive uprisings in a number of other Middle Eastern nations in 2011. American presidents have a long history of supporting authoritarian leaders in the Middle 4 . In the vein of the fourth generation theories of revolution. it must be noted that these events are recent and continually unfolding. Because of the United States' geostrategic interests in the region. Jordan. The scale of these protests was initially the most notable aspect of them. massive protests have taken place in Yemen. elite. While only two countries' authoritarian leaders have been overthrown (Tunisia's Ben Ali and Egypt's Mubarak). would not be satisfied until the dictatorial rulers stepped down from power. first in Tunisia and then in Egypt. Once it became clear that the demonstrators. and popular conditions in a revolutionary country as well as the revolutions impact abroad. The most notable feature of the 2011 Middle Eastern revolutionary movements have been the abrupt and massive nature of the demonstrations involved. in these cases protesters calling for democratic reforms. exploring the international effect on state.Jay C Colburn II GOVT 731 3/2/2011 importance of countries experiencing revolutions. in order to further understanding of revolutions in the 21st century. as large demonstrations of this magnitude are most often repressed by force by the existing regime. The international community is quick to condemn the use of violence against peaceful protesters. 2) they can upset existing alliance patterns. Before discussing the recent Middle East revolutions. but this paper will focus on the events that have already transpired. through which many globally traded goods pass through every day. human and political rights. for peace in the region because of Israel's peace treaty with Israel and because of Egypt's control of the Suez Canal.Jay C Colburn II GOVT 731 3/2/2011 East as a means of maintaining a relative level of stability in order to secure those interests. the US and other major Western powers were hesitant in supporting the removal of Ben Ali and Mubarak. however. Because of this support. which only experienced relatively low levels of violent repression compared to Muammar Qadhafi. Related to that is the fear of the spread of revolution. The importance of political change Tunisia. although military options including setting up a no-fly zone over Libya are apparently being considered. does not have direct drastic global implications. the demonstrators did not want to be seen as pawns of the US or not able to bring about significant political change themselves. from international alliances with the existing state leaders to Western nations' struggles to maintain such ties or support policies that align with its national ideals of democracy. revolutions can also have crucial impacts on international relations. and the freedoms of speech and expression. other MENA leaders are frightened of similar uprisings 5 . These observations demonstrate the international effect on revolutionary movements. The overthrow of the 30 year Egyptian regime was of key political and economic importance. but its publicity and perceived importance in international relations was most likely exaggerated because of the revolutionary events taking place there. The role of the international community in that specific uprising is still uncertain. Western powers also did not want to be seen as overly involved in these revolutionary processes because it could delegitimize the domestic grassroots nature of these movements. As mentioned above. Justifiably so. who is accused of hiring mercenaries and using the air strikes against the Libyan demonstrators. The case of Libya is different from Egypt and Tunisa. who recently dismissed the parliament. While the cases above do provide interesting examples of new phenomena in revolutionary processes. and King Abdullah II of Jordan. The nature and unfolding of the revolutionary events in this region highlight some new and important international implications for revolutions. have been exposed to the opportunities and possibilities available around the world.Jay C Colburn II GOVT 731 3/2/2011 taking place in their own countries. particularly the educated youth in the Middle East. This difference shows how combinations of factors. It is difficult to propose any major theoretical contributions to the revolutionary literature based on the recent events in the Middle East. played an integral role in the original planning of the protests which then spread like wildfire among the populations and across the region. in the hope that they too will not be overtaken by the will of the people. With such internet capabilities. like increased communications capabilities mixed with heightened international attention. contributing to garnering widespread and international support for these revolutionary movements calling for democratic reforms. acts of repression are much more easily recorded and distributed around the world. can lead to revolutionary processes evolving at different rates or in different ways than those of past centuries. the downfall of Mubarak in Egypt took a mere 18 days of demonstrations. many sectors of society in countries around the world. who has promised not to run for re-election in 2013. where revolutions in the past have taken place over months if not years. authoritarian rulers no longer have the power to restrict what types of information their populations are exposed to. specifically social media websites like Twitter and Facebook. The timeline of these events have also been extraordinarily quick. The use of communications technology. specifically with international and 6 . Also. Sets of preemptive concessions have been made by President Saleh of Yemen. This paper has looked at the particularities of the most recent revolutions and revolutionary movements that have taken place in early 2011 in the Middle East and North Africa and pointed out some possibilities for theoretical expansion as well as noted some of the shortfalls of assessing the relationship between international relations and revolutions. 7 . while Tunisia and Egypt have seen the overthrow of former authoritarian leaders. significant democratic reform is still yet to be seen. they are limited. since international actions may have important outcomes months. years. or even decades later. It is once again important to note that these revolutionary processes are still in the making. Many works on revolutions have undoubtedly shown the impact international relations can have on revolutions. The fact that all of these recent revolutionary movements explored are in the strategic MENA region could have an effect on outcomes. especially with the current military rule of Egypt. Future endeavors to expand on the international dimensions of revolutions may be aided by studying international effects on revolution in terms of long-term and short-term effects.Jay C Colburn II GOVT 731 3/2/2011 revolutionary relationships and the use of modern communications technology. as well as the impact revolutions can have on international relations. 76-84. 272-283. Belmont. CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Jeff. 2003. Goodwin. edited by Jack A. Mark N. edited by Mark N. DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. Washington. "Is the Age of Revolutions Over?" In Revolution: International Dimensions. Selbin. 2001. Goldstone. Katz. 8 . Eric. edited by Mark N. Washington. 2003. CA: Thomson Wadsworth. 1-8." In Revolution: International Dimensions. and historical Studies. "Agency and Culture in Revolutions. 2001. Katz. Jack A. and historical Studies." In Revolutions: Theoretical. "The International Dimensions of Revolution: An Introduction. Comparative. DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. Katz. edited by Jack A. Belmont.Jay C Colburn II GOVT 731 3/2/2011 Bibliography Goldstone. "The Comparative and Historical Study of Revolutions." In Revolutions: Theoretical. Comparative. Goldstone. 120.
Report "The International Relations of Revolutions in the 21st Century"