link between so-called Arab Spring and the crisis of modernization in the Islamic world

1. Crisis of Modernization in the
Islamic Word
Prof. Dr. Bordás Mária
National University of Public Service
Faculty of Public Governance and International
Studies
2020.

2. Crisis of modernization
Modernization aspirations: (19-20th century)
• Western-oriented systems: introducing the institutions of the
Western Liberal Democracy and market-oriented economy
• The Socialist-oriented model: introducing communist state
principles and bureaucratic economic governance
Modernization crisis: (by the end of the 20th century)
• Both models failed (low economic and state efficiency)
• Identity vakuum: Islamic fundamentalism - radical Islam
• Democracy deficiency: The movements and consequences of
the "Arab Spring" (since 2012)

3. Impact of the West on the Islamic world
• Western culture and state organization are foreign bodies:
there was no renaissance, reformation (secularization),
enlightenment, capitalist modernization
• Forced Western and Communist models - are in crisis by the
end of the 20th century
• Independent States: Middle classes replaced Colonial
Aristocracy were also unable to show an alternative
• One-party dictatorships: military coups, brutal police
action, expropriation of political power and goods,
corruption, fragmentation of society (poor - rich)
Political, ideological and identity vacuum:
hotbad for Islamic fundamentalism!

4. Social, religious and ethnic divisions of
Islamic states
Complex:
- Industrialization: large farms, industrial plants, capitalist
factories: capitalist class, landowners, urban workers, free
peasants, intellectuals
- Country: tribal-clan relations - participates in local
administration - Islamic traditions (saria law, mosques, Koran
schools, own judiciary bodies)
- State: artificially created - territorial-local bodies, but no
identity - different tribal, ethnic and religious groups
- Division: eg. Iraq, Syria, North Africa, Turkey, Lebanon
- States based on national identity: Iran, Egypt, Marocco,
Turkey, Kurdistan (no state yet)

5. Reasons of modernisation’s fail 1.
• Political determination of Islam - lack of flexibility
• Lack of liberal democracy – public interest
• States build up on the territorial principle – stranger
body
• Oil – not protected against the West – intervention by
the Western countries
• States having one economic pillar: major income from
export of oil, tourism, Suez canal, guest workers salary
sent to homeland – economy and infrastructure are
badly developed

6. Reasons of modernisation’s fail 2.
• The social and socialistic tradition of Islam:
- Expected state care (job creation, welfare services, flat
building, low level of food prices)
- The socialist bureaucratic economic system – low
efficiency
- Western influence: there is no tradition of liberalism –
the strong and centralized state is requested
• There are no conditions of capitalist economy: capital,
human resources, capability of innovation, modern
economic structure, legal environment, efficient
economic governance

7. Failure of socialist-oriented Islamic
states
Popularity: (socialist ideology is close to Islam in many ways)
- Anti-Western ideology
- Social measurements: distribution of lands, welfare system
- Economic governance: centralized, based upon state
ownership – high redistribution
Reasons of fail:
- Low level efficiency: inclusion of market mechanism
- Failing social standards – growing joblessness
- Breaking down of Islamic movements
- Spread of Islam fundamentalism (from 1960-s through
Muslim Brotherhood)
- Emergence of radical Islam: al Qaida (from 1990-s)

8. Roots of radical Islam
• Poor Countries Without Oil:
- Food riots
- "Lumpens": young poor unemployed intellectuals
• Frustration: they accuse the West for their failures - the
West is not superior
• The "paradox of democracy": the autocratic rulers have
tried to introduce Western reforms but did not have
mass support (e.g. Iran)
• Nationalist movements (mid-20th century) did not
succeed
• Political power vacuum in fragile states

9. Ideology of radical Islam: based on the
roots of Islam fundamentalism
• Violence
• Exclusiveness
• Martyrdom
• Its purpose is to expel the West
• There is no political opposition - it would be an opposition to Islam
• Totalitarian ideology (Fascism and Communism)
• It thinks itself as superior and solely just
• Intolerant - militant
• Based on an Autocratic State System (formally chaliphate, or
imamate, but not in the practical reality)
(Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in 1930-s, Al-Qaeda 1990-s, Hamas,
Hesbollah, Taliban, ISIS, Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda affiliates, suc as Al-
Shabaab, AQIM, AQAP, etc.)

10. Arab Spring
-2011: A dissatisfaction movement against poverty, high prices
and unemployment (in Tunisia a trader who sold vegetables
without permit, burned himself because the authorities
confiscated his desk)
- First time in the Arab history formulated democratic goals:
political and freedom rights, multiparty system, freedom of
religion, separation of powers, free media, assembly rights,
economic and social reforms
- "Arab Winter": caused anarchy and chaos
- The postcolonial end of Islam is the order of the new Arab
world
- Milestone: It is not based on radical Islam

11. Arab Spring, 2015

12. Results of Arab Spring
• Gulf monarchies: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain - minor
demonstrations - surpressed
• Compromise with the opposition - democratic
reforms (Morocco, Jordan, Algeria)
• Revolution:
- There had not been a functioning state (Syria,
Yemen, Libya) – now: collapsed states
- Democratic system was established (Tunisia)
• Unchanged: Egypt (military putch because of
islamist tendencies)

14. The "illiberal democracy„ by Fared Zakaria
The most functional:
- Constitutional monarchy in multiparty system, free elections
- Presidential system - the army is the guardian of democracy
The system of checks and balances, political and liberty rights,
market mechanisms are less applicable
Islamic tradition:
- Strong and intervening state
- Extensive care about individuals
- Lack of liberal democracy - but solidarity and equality
- - not applicable to modern conditioIslamic caliphate and
imamatens - in all cases, it led to extreme autocratic system
of government (Iran, Gaza, South-Lebanon, Iraq-Syria,
Afghanistan, FATA in Pakistan, North Nigeria)

15. Questions?