Suchergebnisse

The Union of Unemployed Graduates (UDC) is the only organisation of unemployed individuals in Tunisia that operates nation-wide. Though it grew in membership and outreach after 2011, it has failed to develop into a key actor for the increasingly mobilised unemployed, who do not join or build formal organisations. The latter reject co-operation because they perceive the UDC to be weak and 'politicized'. The article examines this assessment using interviews and focus groups conducted during extensive fieldwork and Facebook posts made by the unemployed union. An analysis of UDC's internal dynamics and of the precautions it takes to remain autonomous from societal and political actors only partially supports this accusation. Instead, fragmentation is better explained by state responses that reward isolated protesters with limited demands rather than negotiating with actors in organisations to reach sustainable solutions.

Teil XI unserer Serie zum "Islamischen Staat". Die große Aufmerksamkeit für den Islamischen Staat (IS) hängt nicht nur mit dessen militärischen Erfolgen zusammen, sondern auch mit seinem Anspruch, einen neuen Staat aufzubauen. Das Phänomen der hohen Anzahl ausländischer Kämpfer gerade aus den Ländern Nordafrikas und des Nahen Ostens scheint die Anschlussfähigkeit dieser Idee zu unterstreichen. Inwieweit der Anspruch auf Staatsaufbau tatsächlich eingelöst werden kann, hinterfrage ich in diesem Beitrag. Danach beleuchte ich die Ausgangslage ausländischer Kämpfer aus der MENA-Region und vertrete die These, dass die Attraktivität des IS für viele junge Männer vor allem auf der Krise der Staatlichkeit in ihren Heimatländern basiert.

Three years after the mass protests in the MENA region it is still unclear if the transformations will lead to democracy. This article reflects the challenge that the open-ended developments posed for the first 'wave' of publications. It starts with the difficulty to find an appropriate term for the events of 2011: 'Arab Spring' or 'Arab Revolutions'? Secondly, the re-evaluation of autocratic regime research highlighted the relevance of social movements as well as the interconnectedness of politics from above and below. Yet, more general conclusions could hardly be drawn with the transformations unfolding. Finally, studies on Egypt and Tunisia underlined the ambivalence by showing how the army, the Islamists and the media supported as well as threatened democratization; EU democracy promotion, however, seemed unable to adapt sufficiently to the developments. Adapted from the source document.