IsraeliPalestinian conflict

IsraeliPalestinian conflict
Towards the end of the 1800s questions arose as to how the Jewish people could overcome increasing persecution and anti-Semitism (having or showing a strong dislike of Jewish people, or treating them in a cruel and unfair way) in Europe. The biblical Promised Land led to a political movement, Zionism, to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine, in the Middle East.
From 1920 to 1947, the British Empire had a mandate (command) over Palestine. At that time, Palestine included all of Israel and todays Occupied Territories, of Gaza, West Bank, etc. The increasing number of Jewish people immigrating to the Holy Land increased tensions in the region.
During World War I, in 1916, British Empire convinced Arab leaders to revolt against the Ottoman Empire (which was allied with Germany). In return, the British government would support the establishment of an independent Arab state in the region, including Palestine.
Yet, in contradiction to this, and to also get support of Jewish people, in 1917, Lord Arthur Balfour, then British Foreign Minister, issued a declaration (the Balfour Declaration). This announced the British Empires support for the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine.
As a further complication, there was a deal between Imperial Britain and France to carve up the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire and divide control of the region. The spoils of war were to be shared.
Post World War II to 2000
After World War II, the United Nations (which then had fewer developing countries as members) recommended the partition of Palestine into two states and the internationalization of Jerusalem. The minority Jewish people received the majority of the land.
The United States not only accepted the UN plan, it aggressively promoted it among the other members of the United Nations. [US President, Harry] Truman had been personally moved by the tragedy of the Jews and by the condition of the refugees. That response and his earlier studies of the Bible made him open to the argument that emigration to Palestine was the proper remedy for the surviving Jews of Europe. Yet he acknowledged later, in his memoirs, that he was fully aware of the Arabs hostility to Jewish settlement in Palestine. He, like his predecessor, had promised he would take no action without fully consulting the Arabs, and he reneged (defaulted).
The State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14 1948, but the Arab states rejected the partition of Palestine and the existence of Israel. The armies of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Egypt attacked but were defeated by the Israeli army.
While the Jewish people were successful in creating their homeland, there was no Palestine and no internationalization of Jerusalem, either. Zionist organizations (a political movement which had as its original aim the creation of a country for Jewish people, and which now works to help the development of Israel) and even some Arab nations also encouraged many Jews to immigrate to Israel.
In 1956, Britain, France and Israel invaded the Sinai Peninsula after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal because these empires feared further loss of power, this time of a major economic trading route entry point for the West to the rest of the Middle East. While Egypt was defeated, international (US) pressure forced their withdrawal.
1967 Israel simultaneously attacked Egypt, Syria and Jordan in a pre-emptive strike against the Arab troops along its borders. Israel captured key pieces of land, such as the strategic Golan Heights to the north on the border with Syria, to the West Bank from Jordan and the Gaza strip from Egypt. In fact, Israel more than doubled its size in the six days that this war took place. Since then, negotiations have been around returning land to pre-1967 states, as required by international law and UN resolutions.
1973 Egypt and Syria attacked Israel but failed.
1978 Camp David accord was signed between Israel, Egypt and the US, and Israel returned Sinai back to Egypt in return for peace between them. To many in the Arab world, Egypt had sold out to US pressure. To the US and Israel, this was a great achievement; Egypt was obviously not to be underestimated in its capabilities, so the best thing would be to ensure it is an ally, not an adversary. Sinai Peninsula is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two continents.
1978 due to rising Hezbollah attacks (Hezbollahis a Shi'a Islamic militant group and political party based in Lebanon) from South Lebanon, where many Palestinian refugees still were, Israel attacked and invaded Lebanon. In 1982, Israel went as far up Lebanon as Beirut. In 1985, Israel declared a strip of South Lebanon to be a Security Zone (never recognized by the UN, and hence Israel was always occupying this other nation.) Israeli forces were accused of massacres. After 22 years, Israel withdrew in May 2000.
Late 1980s Palestinian uprisingtheIntifada. Young Palestinians confronted Israeli troops with nothing more than sling shots and stones. Many innocent civilians were killed on both sides.
1993 Oslo Peace Accord Israel recognized the PLO (Palestine Liberation Org.) and gave them limited autonomy in return for peace and an end to Palestinian claims on Israeli territory. This has been largely criticized as a one-sided accord, which benefits only Israel, not the Palestinian people. It resulted in Israeli control of land, water, roads and other resources.
1994 Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip and Jericho, ending twenty seven years of occupation.
1995 then Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist.
1996 Israeli forces bombed Lebanon for 17 days, with Hezbollah retaliating by firing upon populated areas of Northern Israel. Israel also shelled a UN shelter killing about 100 out of 800 civilians sheltering there.
1998 saw the Wye River Memorandum outlining Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank but Israel suspended it in January 1999 due to internal disagreements on its implementation.
2000 To Present
The Camp David summit in 2000 also failed to come up with solutions on Jerusalem.
The Palestinian people have been without any nation, and have had limited rights, while suffering from poverty. Israel continued to increase and expand their settlements into occupied territories, giving up less and less land compared to what was promised. Many Palestinians (that are not Israeli Arabs since 1948) living in Israel do not have the right to vote, or have limited rights, while paying full taxes. For over 3 decades, the Palestinian people have been living under a military occupation.
The frustration and injustice of the treatment of Palestinians has angered many citizens in the Arab world against US/Israeli policies. Palestinian frustration has spilled into extremism in some cases as well. Many militant groups from Palestine and other areas of the Middle East have therefore sprung up in recent years as well as past decades, performing acts of what the West and Israel describe as terrorism and what the groups themselves justify as freedom fighting (though achieving freedom through terrorist actions could arguably still be called terrorist organizations, despite claimed motives).
In 2002, Israel started construction of a large defensive security fence in the West Bank supposedly to stop terrorists from making their way in to Israeli cities and settlements. While it mostly seems to have worked, those large fences have drawn international criticism for going quite far into Palestinian land not Israeli land. Israel also continued controversial settlement programs in disputed areas.
In 2003, Israel stepped up its campaign against Hamas, the chief organization behind the suicide attacks of recent years.
Suicide bombings and Israeli air strikes continued and Israel achieved the assassination of Hamass spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
Throughout the recent years, anger and frustration has mounted as the larger, but poorer Palestinian population also find themselves with the less pristine (unspoiled) land. This has been further fuelled by Israeli bull-dozing of many homes and attempts to kill extremist leaders which often end in death or capture of innocent civilians (including women and children). In addition, while Israel demanded that the ineffective Palestinian National Authority do something to crack down on suicide bombers and other terrorist elements within its territories, it continued bombing official buildings and compounds (making any attempts to crack down on such elements futile). This also increased the power, authority, and influence of more extreme groups such as Hamas that did not like the idea of peace with Israelit wanted the destruction of the Jewish homeland.
The start of 2006 that saw the more extreme Hamas organization gain power. (This is what some describe as a paradox of democracy; what if a people decide to elect a non-democratic party into power?) Hamas has been listed by many countries as a terrorist organization, though others see it as an independence movement. However, its means are certainly terrorist in nature, often employing suicide attacks on Israeli civilians.
Probably less well known than its militant tendencies have been the other reasons for its popularity. The US-based Council on Foreign Relation notes that
In addition to its military wing, the so-called Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigade, Hamas devotes much of its estimated $70-million annual budget to an extensive social services network. It funds schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues. Approximately 90 percent of its work is in social, welfare, cultural, and educational activities, writes the Israeli scholar Reuven Paz. The Palestinian Authority often fails to provide such services; Hamas efforts in this areaas well as a reputation for honesty, in contrast to the many Fatah officials accused of corruptionhelp to explain the broad popularity it summoned to defeat Fatah in the PAs recent elections.

U.S. involvement in the Middle East has also been seen as a critical issue. The U.S. and Wests interest in the wider region has generally been due to oil. Israel and Palestinian territories do not have oil themselves, but are surrounded by states that do. Strong military and financial support of Israel lends well to having a powerful ally in the region. (For that reason as well, other Arab dictators and corrupt rulers have also been supported and even helped into power. Saddam Hussain was one of them. Dictators that can be bought provide a useful check against possible popular uprising in the region and therefore, for the US, help ensure their securitythat is, their national interests are safeguarded and local puppets profit, while the people of the region end up suffering and losing out.
While the UN Security Council has attempted to pass numerous resolutions critical of Israel the United States has vetoed almost all of them. Often the international community is critical of Israeli inaction, but the US veto prevents anything coming of it. Instead, Israeli land expansion and settlements have continued. The US has also provided Israel with enormous military aid. Israel also has nuclear weapons capabilities.
An additional source of frustration for the Palestinian people is that the land that is being settled by Israelis are usually prime land, and hence the various peace negotiations usually leave Palestine with the less usable land. Israel also thereby controls water sources. The non-contiguous land (Gaza and West Bank) and the Israeli control over Palestinian movement also mean disconnection. This allows the possibility of providing cheap labor to Israel, so it is in their economic interest to pursue this type of division.

From Wikipedia:

* The two parties engaged in direct negotiation are the Israeli government, currently led by Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), currently headed by Mahmoud Abbas.

* Quartet on the Middle East (the Quartet) represented by a special envoy that consists of the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations.

* Since 2003, the Palestinian side has been fractured by conflict between the two major factions: Fatah, the traditionally dominant party, and its later electoral challenger, Hamas. Following Hamas' seizure of power in the Gaza Strip in June 2007, the territory controlled by the Palestinian National Authority (the Palestinian interim government) is split between Fatah in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

* A poll was carried out in 2011 by the Hebrew University; it indicated that support for a two-state solution was growing among both Israelis and Palestinians. The poll found that 58% of Israelis and 50% of Palestinians supported a two-state solution based on the Clinton Parameters, compared with 47% of Israelis and 39% of Palestinians in 2003, the first year the poll was carried out. The poll also found that an increasing percentage of both populations supported an end to violence.

Current issues in dispute

* Jerusalem: The border of Jerusalem is a particularly delicate issue, with each side asserting claims over this city. The three largest Abrahamic religionsJudaism, Christianity, and Islaminclude Jerusalem as an important setting for their religious and historical narratives. Israel asserts that the city should not be divided and should remain unified within Israel's political control. Palestinians claim at least the parts of the city which were not part of Israel prior to June 1967.

* Palestinian refugees: Palestinian refugees are people who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict and the 1967 Six-Day War. A third of the refugees live in recognized refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The remainders live in and around the cities and towns of these host countries.

* Israeli security concerns: Throughout the conflict, Palestinian violence has been a concern for Israelis. Israel, along with the United States and the European Union, refer to the violence against Israeli civilians and military forces by Palestinian militants as terrorism. The motivations behind Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians are multiplex, and not all violent Palestinian groups agree with each other on specifics; however a common motive is to eliminate the Jewish state and replace it with a Palestinian Arab state. The most prominent Islamist groups, such as Hamas, view the IsraeliPalestinian conflict as a religious jihad.

* Palestinian violence outside of Israel: Some Palestinians have committed violent acts over the globe on the pretext of a struggle against Israel. Most well-known and notorious terrorist acts was the capture and eventual murder of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympic Games.

* Palestinian violence against other Palestinians: Fighting among rival Palestinian and Arab movements has played a crucial role in shaping Israel's security policy towards Palestinian militants, as well as in the Palestinian leadership's own policies.

* International status: In the past, Israel has demanded control over border crossings between the Palestinian territories and Jordan and Egypt, and the right to set the import and export controls, asserting that Israel and the Palestinian territories are a single economic space. In the interim agreements reached as part of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority has received control over cities (Area A) while the surrounding countryside has been placed under Israeli security and Palestinian civil administration (Area B) or complete Israeli control (Area C).

* Water resources: In the Middle East, water resources are of great political concern. Since Israel receives much of its water from two large underground aquifers which continue under the Green Line, the use of this water has been contentious in the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. Although this water was drawn entirely on Israel's own side of the pre-1967 border, the sources of the water are nevertheless from the shared groundwater basins located under both West Bank and Israel.

* Israeli military occupation of the West Bank: Occupied Palestinian Territory is the term used by the United Nations to refer to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Stripterritories which were captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, having formerly been controlled by Egypt and Jordan.





References:

* http://www.globalissues.org/article/119/the-middle-east-conflict-a-brief-background

* Wikipedia

Name: Eswar Prasad Choudhury

CRISIS IN EGYPT

* EGYPT

* Presidents of Egypt

* 2011 Revolution

* State of Emergency Law

* SCAF

* Muslim Brotherhood

* Crisis in Egypt

* Reaction of the world

* Implications for India

EGYPT


* Cairo= Egypts capital and Largest city.

* Majority of the people in Egypt areSunni Muslims but theres still quite a few Christians in Egypt today.

* Egypt has been an independent country since1922. It became arepublicafter theEgyptian Revolutionof1952

* About 60% of the population is under the age of 30.


Presidents of Egypt

* Egypt has had five Presidents after it became a republic. Out of these, the last two are relevant to our discussion.


NameDurationHighlights

General Muhammad Naguib1.5 years (1953-1954)
* Revolution: The Free Officers Movement aimed at overthrowing constitutional monarchy and established a republic in 1952.
* He resigned in 1954

Gamal Abdel Nasser13 years (1956-1970)
* Died in office

Anwar Sadat10 years (1971-1981)
* Assassinated

Hosni Mubarak30 years (1981 -2011)
* Issue: Autocratic governance, Corruption, poverty, unemployment, price inflation and other economic issues, State of Emergency Laws.
* Resigned after 2011 Revolution

Mohammed Morsi1 year (2012- 2013)
* Issue: Behaved as if he had a mandate to transform Egypt into a more Islamist state; did little to tackle the countrys pressing economic and social problems.
* Deposed by military after mass protest in July 2013


2011 Revolution

* Inspired by the revolution in Tunisia, small networks of Egyptian activists geared up for mass action. (Also called as the Arab Spring)

* Reason: They had been agitating against President Hosni Mubarak's autocratic rule for years.

* Demands: Political freedoms, to end to state corruption and seek a better quality of life for an impoverished population.

* The younger generation realized that the old order had no room for them, and could never satisfy their desire of having a decent job that would give them money to lead independent lives.

* Egyptians decided to start protest marches around the country- calling for greater freedoms and political change.

* In February, 2011, after weeks of protests, Mubarak resigned and handed over power to the military.

* First Parliamentary elections were held between Nov 2011 and Jan 2012. Mohammed Morsi became Egypts first democratically elected President.
State of Emergency Law
It gives the state draconian powers. The Government can declare this Emergency Law any time.

* Most constitutional rights are suspended.

* Police powers are enormously extended.

* Anybody can be imprisoned for any period of time without reasons or trial.

* The ruler has the power to monitor newspapers, journals and other publications.
SCAF

* The Supreme Council of Armed Forces is a governing body of 21 senior officers in theEgyptian military.

* The Council is held only in case of war or great insurgencies.

* SCAF has enjoyed wide legitimacy from the people of Egypt and general confidence in their ability to provide for free elections.

* The Council assumed power, headed by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi after Mubaraks resignation.

* 2013 Military Coup: GeneralAbdul Fatah al-Sisi, the Minister of Defense and the Coup General, issued an ultimatum to the Government and declared an end to the presidency of Morsi.
Muslim Brotherhood


* Its a transnational Islamic political organization founded in 1928 in Egypt.

* It was banned after the attempted -assassination of Egypt's president Abdel Nasser.

* After six decades of Government repression, it was legalized in 2011.

* Freedom and Justice Party is the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing.

* This organization has a presence in West Asia and Africa also.
Crisis in Egypt
After the end of Hosni Mubaraks rule, the people of Egypt were hoping for better administration and an improvement in economic condition. They were disappointed with Morsis government.

* Reasons: Broken Promises

* Morsis government did not keep its promises about reinvigorating the economy.

* Government issued a temporary constitutional declaration that gave the President sweeping powers including immunity to any decisions he made thereafter.

* Behaved as if it had an overwhelming mandate to transform Egypt into a more Islamist state.

* The demonstrations were organized by Egyptian opposition organizations and individuals- mainly liberals, leftists, secularists andChristians.

* Outcome:

* President Mohammed Morsi was deposed by military after mass protests.

* The constitutional court abolished the Constituent Assembly in which the Brotherhood had won 235 seats. The assembly couldnt start its task of writing a constitution. Meanwhile the interim military government, the SCAF awarded itself powers to veto changes in the constitution, to propose legislation, to detain civilians and deploy military at times of internal unrest.

* General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi suspended the Constitution and proclaimed Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court,Adly Mansour as the interim Head of State until new presidential elections.

* Egypt is now governed under an emergency law that gives the state draconian powers. Journalists are being held without trail.

* Hundreds of Pro-Morsi supporters were killed in clashes with security force. A curfew is already in place in Cairo. Dead bodies are piling up.

* The Brotherhoods spiritual leader Mohamed Badie and several senior leaders are under arrest.

* The regime clearly aims to close down all political space.
Reaction of the world
The future of Egypt's democracy is in danger. When elected institutions are removed by military force, past patterns show that the outcome is unfavorable to democracy.

* The message sent by the crisis in Egypt to Libya, Syria, Yemen and beyond is that of militarizing politics: only arms guarantee political rights, not the constitution, not democratic institutions and certainly not votes.

* US calls off military exercises:It has cancelled joint military exercises due to take place with Egypt and may even suspend financial aid of $1.5 billion a year in the future.

* UN calls for calm:The UN Security Council has urged all parties to show maximum restraint and end violence in Egypt

* The European Union has expressed its deep concern and hoping for early democratic elections.

* Tourism under threat:The curfew in Cairo is damaging the tourist industry and holiday-makers in some resorts. The United State of America has issued warnings and asked its citizens to leave Egypt.
Implications for India

* India has had close historical and civilization contacts with Egypt.

* The important concern is about 3600 people of Indian origin living in Egypt and 2200 members of the Indian community in Cairo.

* Egypts strategic location along the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal provides it a significant advantage vis--vis bilateral trade and tourism

* India has been among the top five importers of Egyptian products since 2005. Exports from India to Egypt have been increasing over the years.

* India has a total investment of about $2 billion in about 40 projects.

* Egypt has 3.5 per cent of Africas proven oil reserves which makes it an important country for India. GAIL, Reliance Industries, and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation are key players in the natural gas and petroleum sectors of Egypt.

* Instability in Egypt will have an adverse impact upon Indian companies involved.

Name: Divya V Prabhu

References:
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2013/09/201395124736350635.html
http://www.idsa.in/system/files/IB_CrisisinEgypt.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23780839
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23724269
The Hindu Article: The unended Arab awakening

Disaster & Disaster management

1. What is disaster?
Def.1: Sudden calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community & causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the communitys ability to cope using its own resources.

DISASTER=(VULNERABILITY+HAZARD) /CAPACITY

Def.2: Encounter b/w forces of harm and a human population in harms way , influenced by the ecological context , in which demands exceed the coping capacity of the affected community.
Definitions based on demand/capacity equation


TYPES OF DISASTERS

NATURAL DISASTERSHUMAN-GENERATED:NON-INTENTIONAL

Hydro meteorological Disasters(Weather-related)Transportation/vehicle accidents

Floods and related disastersAir/space

FloodsRail

Landslides/mudslidesRoad/Highway

AvalanchesStructural collapse

WindstormsBuilding

Tropical cyclones (hurricanes,cyclones, typhoons, tropical storms)Bridge

TornadoesDam

ThunderstormsTunnel

Winter stormsFire/incineration

Geophysical DisastersStructure fire

EarthquakesExplosion

Volcanic eruptionsHazardous materials release/spill

Tsunamis/tidal wavesChemical

Droughts and Related DisastersGas/aerosol

Extreme heatRadiation

Extreme coldBiological agent

WildfiresEcological/environmental destruction

Forest firesMiscellaneous accidents

Droughts



Pandemic DiseasesHUMAN-GENERATED: INTENTIONAL

Newly emerging infectious diseasesRace/ethnic conflict

High-mortality known infectious diseasesViolent mass gatherings (As in Syria, Egypt)

AbsentiaTerrorism

Biological terrorism: aerosol anthrax

Biological terrorism: smallpox

Biological terrorism: pneumonic plague

Biological terrorism: food contamination

COMPLEX EMERGENCIESChemical terrorism: blister agent

Declared warChemical terrorism: nerve agent

Civil warChemical terrorism: chlorine gas

GenocideChemical terrorism: toxic industrial chemical

Ethnic cleansing/ethnic conflictNuclear terrorism: improvised nuclear device

Refugee crisisNuclear terrorism: radiological dispersaldevice (dirty bomb)

Internally displaced persons crisisConventional terrorism: improvisedexplosive device

Global catastrophesCyber terrorism



* Extra ordinary magnitude of harm

* Ecological disruption

* Disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities

* Demands for response that exceed the communitys ability to cope

* Necessity for external assistance


Disaster Management

* Organization & management of resources & responsibilities for dealing with humanitarian needs with respect to disaster in order to lesser the impacts of disaster.


* Local community people are the first to face the disaster. Therefore it is very essential to develop local community based disaster preparedness, which assists communities to reduce their vulnerability to disasters & strengthen their capacities to resist them.

* Main areas to focus are

* Humanitarian logistics (Since logistics constitute part of disaster effort)

* Supply chain management

Major advances required in the field of disaster management & their possible ways to implement

* Logistics sector is well established in industries which can be utilized or can be taken up as a model to enhance efficiency of the system.( PPP models can also be taken up).

* Location of warehouses, camps, sourcing relief items should be planned by studying the areas prone to disaster.

* Reduction in pilferage & wastages.

* Use of IT infrastructure to maintain inventory records, distribution networks.

Disaster Management - An INDIAN Perspective


NDMA National disaster management authority estt. by GoI by Disaster management Act, 2005. Consists of

* PM as the chairman

* Vice-chairman with the status of cabinet minister

* 8 members with the status of state minister



* National disaster response force

* Specialized response to natural & man-made disasters.



* National institute of disaster management (under MHA)

* Formed by an act of parliament for capacity building in the field of disaster management.



Some of the established international agencies

1. International federation of Red Cross

2. Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF)

3. World Food Programme

4. OXFAM

5. Red Crescent societies
Ref: . http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management

By Akshay Ranjan Pathak

Arab Spring has it failed?

It all started as a wave of movements in the arab nations in december 2010. The movemnt started as rage against the goverment inactions on various issues including price rise, unemplitment, inequality, autocratic rule and so on.
The countries were the wave shattered includes Egypt Tunisia Libiya Yemen . All these countries saw violent clashes between people and government machineries . The government finally was thrown away in front the huge uprising.The flare of the uprisisng has shifted to other countries including syria bahrain Oman etc where it has been violent in its behaviour so far.
Features of Arab Spring.
Some features includes .
1. Peoples particaipation was quite large. All sections of the people especially youth participated in the demonstartions in full letter and spirit.
2. Role palayed by Social Media in bringing and maintaing the uprising was substantial.
3. Most countries were the uprising took place was either an allay of West or part of soviet Union during the cold war period.
4. All the countries were either autocratic or Monarch in nature.
5. The main demand of protesters were to initiate democracatic reforms in the state.
6. Woman participation.

Reasons for Arab Spring.
There is common similarity in the places where the uprising has erupted and that is all these countries are governed by autocrats of Monarcs.It is true that a ruler who doesnt care for his people cannot rule with his own all the time. Some of the main reasons includes
a. High level of unemployment .
B. Uneven distribution of wealth.
c. No political freedom.
D . Nepotism and kinship.
E. high burden of price rise and inflation.
F. corruption
G.Centralsed decision making with no public participation.
F. Political Powers is on captive few.

But considering all these reasons the underlying cause for such an uprisng is nothing but thae anger and mistrust amoung the people towards the administration. The people were given promises on various matters but were violated in all spheres.
Effects of Arab Spring .
The effects were quite amazing. The rulers of Countries like yemen , Tunisia Egypt Libiya were thrown out of power. The same level of protest were then blown out to other countries including syria bahrain oman etc.Though the demonstrations were not of equal color in all countries . In tunisia Yemen and upto a certain extant Egypt were peaceful but the tone at Libiya was very violent. The oil prices in the international market started shooting up like rockets.
The other west african and west asian countries started initiation of democratic process in their respective nations. Many countries including arab countries started reforms including democratic decentralization, woman participation in elections and started other reforms as well.
Arab Spring- A Failure?

It is highly important to note that despite all these developments upto a certain extant the original spirit of the Arab Spring lost in its due passage of time. In most places the color of the movement got diluted and radical and anti social elements have the infiltrated into the movement there by leading to absolute chaos and violence. In areas like syria and libiya the terrorist outfits like the Al-queda , Al- Nursa has gone upto certain extant of capturing the land mass started sharia law in those area. All the more after the decline of these rulers civil war broke out in all these nations which ultimatly resulted in chaos and fury. People started forming groups for self interest and nations started to divide into pieces.
The role played by international forces like the NATO were like aadiing fuel to the fire.The international community In the pretext of responsibility to protect has actually made the situation more violent and out of control. US stand of War On Terroe was actually mockery and in the pretext of the leter they were adopting the neocolonisation programmes. Most nations ntentions including the americans and russians were purely economic in nature rather than any reforms.
At most times the 1973 resoltions were passed in the UN secutiyu council so that punitive measures may be initiated against the rulers of host countries which became futile in the subsequesnt days. The case we can see in libiya were no fly zone was enforced is still buring. In most days we can hear the reports of suicide bombings and firings from these nations. The role of UN has been limited upto to a greater extant in making peace and tranquility in the regions.
Egypt after the showdown.
Arab spring was its helm in egypt. All the sections from the society participated in the movement right from the youth to woman.Hosni Mubarkh could not with stand the kind of pressure the general public has made upon him. The opposition includes Mohammed El Barday former IAEA chief Muslim Brother hood under the leadership of muslim clergs and radical elements, and other ethnic tribes . Though in the beginning mosr demonstrations were of peaceful in nature , after a certain stage it lost its all its patience and got violent color.
After oveerthrowing Hozni Mubarak egypt went for an election which was participated by all walks of society . Muslim brotherhood under the leadership of Mohhamed Motsey came into power. But the history again repeated the same here also. What Morsy has promised to the egyptian people were forgotten and started to establish more stringent laws in egypt. He declared he want to build an islamic republic of egypt with an islamic constitution. This was not acceptable to most egyptians especially minorities . people agitation again started, an army coup was plotted by the army and the 1st ever democratically elected government of egypt was thrown away.
Libyan scenario.
Not much different was in libiya also. Mohammer Gadaaffi was over thrown by the people in a great fashion. Unlike other state rulers he was forced to flee underground and later on caught and killed by the radical elements. Here the International agencies including the UN and NATO played a crucial role in overthrowing the ruler. UNSC imposed no fly zone in libiya. They provided both technical and logistic support to the opposition parties. After gadaffis fall the nation went into the hand of radical and terrorist elements. The radical groups involved in libiyan revolt started moving to other nations. The effects was seen in mali were a military coup was erupted with the help of libiyan fighters. Al queda do made a strong come back to these nations and parts of the country is under them now. Civilian unrest was the result.
Unending syrian crisis.
The other important uprising was in syria where bashar al assad government was in question. Al assad was in power for more than 3 decades. The free syrian army was the major opposing group where it includes people and ethnic gorups from different parts of the coutry. The sunni shai conflict was another reason for the uprising where the population is of majority sunnis controlled by shia government.
Unlike other coutries syria is buring for the past 2 years where the opposition could not make any substantial move agianst the regime. The main reasons includes divide amoung the opposition, no consensus on international community and agencies and support from neighboring countries like lebonon and iran. . The country is now in the verge of civil war .There is complete break down of law and order, no employment, unrest and anger amoug the citizens.

Considering all these it is evident from the fact that what arab spring has started with a deep anguish against the mis- governance of the regimes has now become a state of civil war and dumped the countries to doldrums. . Even after overthrowing the autocratic rulers like Muammer Gaddaffi , Hozni Mubarak etc the situation has even worsened . Civil unrest and greater war has become ultimate rsult. Peace and tranquility has now become a far more an illusion in these countries .Hence we can very well conclude that wave which started in the for of Arab spring gas lost much relevance.

Name : SANDEEP.A

Ref : The Hindu , Foreign Policy Magazine, Loksabha channel , IDSA website.