Article
Amr Hamzawy, Kathryn Selfe
{
"authors": [
"Amr Hamzawy"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "MEP",
"programs": [
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"North Africa",
"Egypt"
],
"topics": [
"Political Reform"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
The Failed Struggle for Democracy in the Arab World and What's Next
The younger generation of Arab citizens has withdrawn from the public space.
By Amr Hamzawy
Published on Feb 24, 2017
Source: TEDx Talks
Carnegie's Amr Hamzawy took part of the TEDx Talks during TEDxMidAtlantic. Hamzawy states that in order to provide freedom of speech for all citizens, governments needto have stable institutions and ruling elites that govern based on a democratic mandate. He remarks that these factors were missing during the Arab uprisings. Hamzawy continues to say that in 2011, Egyptians were trying to get their government to listen.
Hamzawy notes that unless a government has popular acceptance it will end up in a relationship of based on fear with its citizens. And when the government puts forward repressive measures the citizens will eventually resist and take to the streets instead of the election booths. Hamzawy points out that during the Arab uprisings, citizens tried to keep their protests non-violent in 2011 and 2012; but in the last 3 years, there was an increase in violence in the Arab world.
He also discusses the younger generation of Arab citizens' use of social media to generate information, express their opinions, and demand change peacefully. He concludes that there is more vibrant dynamism taking place outside of the political sphere as young citizens have realized that change through institutions is not possible.
About the Author
Amr Hamzawy
Director, Middle East Program
Amr Hamzawy is a senior fellow and the director of the Carnegie Middle East Program. His research and writings focus on Egypt’s and other middle powers’ involvement in regional security in the Middle East, particularly through collective diplomacy and multilateral conflict resolution
- In the Middle East and North Africa, America and China Converge More Than They Diverge
- The Iran War Shows the Limits of U.S. PowerArticle
Amr Hamzawy
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
- Egypt’s Military Landlord Economy and its LimitationsPaper
The armed forces champion a form of capitalism that is generating revenue, but its reliance on rent faces diminishing returns, leaving the country with massive sunk costs and deferred returns, deepening dependency on external borrowing.
Yezid Sayigh
- The West’s Climate Colonialism in the Greater Middle EastCommentary
There is a disturbing structural parallel between the old global energy economy and the new green transition.
Angie Omar
- World Cup 2026: A Middle East and North Africa PrimerCommentary
This will be the region’s most representative tournament, amid broad changes in its footballing landscape.
Issam Kayssi
- Climate Pressures in Algeria: The Crisis in Rural KabylieArticle
Understanding how farmers in the Oued Sahel-Soummam Valley grapple with climate change is essential for addressing the paradoxes through which adaptation, operating at both individual and institutional levels, deepens the region’s vulnerability and erodes the social fabric and agrarian identity that once defined life.
Ilyssa Yahmi
- Egypt’s Discreet Role in the Ceasefire with IranCommentary
Cairo’s efforts send a message to the United States and the region that it still has a place at the diplomatic table.
Angie Omar
