You say you want a revolution: the Arab Spring, norm diffusion, and the human rights regime

We discuss how the Arab Spring is a reflection of the resiliency of the human rights regime. In order to accomplish this, we explore the extent to which the Arab Spring represents norm diffusion among Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states. Specifically, we examine the cases of Tunisia, Egypt, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Harrelson-Stephens, Julie (Author)
Contributors: Callaway, Rhonda L. 1965- (Organizer)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2014
In: Human rights review
Year: 2014, Volume: 15, Issue: 4, Pages: 413-431
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Keywords:
Arab Spring
Norm diffusion
Human rights regime
Social Media
Constructivism
Description
Summary:We discuss how the Arab Spring is a reflection of the resiliency of the human rights regime. In order to accomplish this, we explore the extent to which the Arab Spring represents norm diffusion among Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states. Specifically, we examine the cases of Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain and consider how economic and demographic changes created space for human rights discourse in these countries. We find that, in the case of MENA states, the Arab Spring represents significant pressure from below. Access to new forms of social media allowed civil society to organize, publicize, and protest relatively efficiently. Social media expanded the potential role of individuals and created newly empowered latent human rights activists who emerged as leaders of the norm diffusion process. The resulting diffusion of human rights norms in the Arab region represents one of the most significant expansions of the human rights regime since the regime’s inception.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 429-431
ISSN:1874-6306
DOI:10.1007/s12142-014-0315-5