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Topic A – Terrorism as a repercussion of the Arab Spring

The Arab Spring is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that

began on Saturday, 18 December 2010. To date revolutions have occurred in Tunisia, and Egypt; a civil

war in Libya, resulting in the fall of its regime; civil uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen; major protests

in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, and Oman; and minor protests in Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi

Arabia, Sudan, and Western Sahara. Clashes at the borders of Israel in May 2011 have also been

inspired by the regional Arab Spring.

The protests have shared techniques of civil resistance in sustained campaigns involving strikes,

demonstrations, marches and rallies, as well as the use of social media to organize, communicate, and

raise awareness in the face of state attempts at repression and internet censorship.

Many demonstrations have met violent responses from authorities, as well as from pro-government

militias and counter-demonstrators.

The series of protests and demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa has become known

as the "Arab Spring", and sometimes as the "Arab Spring and Winter", "Arab Awakening" or "Arab

Uprisings" even though not all participants in protests identify as Arab. It was sparked by the first protests

that occurred in Tunisia on 18 December 2010 following Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation in protest of

police corruption and ill treatment. With the success of the protests in Tunisia, a wave of

unrest struck Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, and Yemen, then spread to other countries. The largest, most

organised demonstrations have often occurred on a "day of rage", usually Friday after noon prayers.The

protests have also triggered similar unrest outside the region.

As of October 2011, revolutions have resulted in the overthrow of three heads of state. Tunisian

President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on 14 January following the Tunisian

revolution protests. In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak resigned on 11 February 2011 after 18 days of

massive protests, ending his 30-year presidency. Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was

overthrown on 23 August 2011, after the National Transitional Council (NTC) took control of Bab al-

Azizia. He was killed on 20 October 2011, in his hometown of Sirte after the NTC took control of the city.

During this period of regional unrest, several leaders announced their intentions to step down at the end

of their current terms. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced that he would not seek re-electionin 2015, as did Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose term ends in 2014, although there have been

increasingly violent demonstrations demanding his immediate resignation. Protests in Jordan have also

caused the sacking of two successive governments by King Abdullah. Another leader, President Ali

Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, announced on 23 April that he would step down within 30 days in exchange for

immunity, a deal the Yemeni opposition informally accepted on 26 April; Saleh then reneged on the deal,

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prolonging the Yemeni uprising. The geopolitical implications of the protests have drawn global

attention, including the suggestion that some protesters may be nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace

Prize. Tawakel Karman from Yemen was one of the three laureates of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize as a

prominent leader in the Arab Spring.

Government overthrown  Sustained civil disorder and governmental changes  Protests and governmental changes 

Major protests  Minor protests  Protests outside the Arab world 

However, where the Arab Spring is thought of as a democracy restorer, it is thought to provide a new

platform for terrorist activities.

An example of this is what Gilles de Kerchove, the EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator, told a news

conference in September 2011:

“"You have not seen anyone demonstrating in the street referring to al Qaeda or al Qaeda rhetoric.But of course, we all agree that it has provided a huge opportunity for al Qaeda to reenergize."

He also said there was a risk al Qaeda had secured arms and ammunition looted in the Libyanconflict, including surface-to-air missiles that could pose a threat to flights in the region.

"They have had the possibility to have had access to weapons, including small arms and machineguns, or certain surface-to-air missiles which are extremely dangerous," he said.

These are only some of the concerns, the rest are to be brought up and discussed by the committeewith full consideration to the integrity and sovereignty of the nations and the gravity of the problem

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The questions and problems which the committee faces are:

In what ways can terrorism surface as a result of the spark from the Arab Spring?

How would have (or can) groups like Al-Qaeda taken advantage from the massive revolts?

How has the US intervention affected this case?

How can the EU and the UK contribute to the countering of this type of terrorism?

What can the Middle East and the Arab world do to eradicate this threat?

How can this threat be countered by the CTC?