Professor Adeed Dawisha of Miami University of Ohio gave a lecture in Ingraham Hall Tuesday covering the issues of the Arab world in regards to the uprising of democracy.
Dawisha explained how leaders of Arab countries are able to remain in power for long periods of time through coercion. His presentation explained ""the winter of Arab discontent which turned into the year of Arab revolution,"" as they tried to achieve democratic development.
What happened during the French Revolution of 1789 is similar to what is going on in the Arab world today, Dawisha said. He added liberation and freedom are harder to achieve under government control.
Still struggling to achieve its liberation, the Arab world is in what Dawisha deemed a second awakening. In Egypt, as well as other Arab countries, leaders dismiss freedom as irrelevant, he said.
""This is the first tragedy of the Arab awakening,"" Dawisha said.
The Arab world has been under colonial subjection for many years, which Dawisha cited as an antagonistic force when trying to achieve liberation and freedom.
According to Dawisha, the military ultimately diminishes democracy, as it is not concerned with protecting the liberty of its people, but rather public order and the political system.
""The military is essentially an authoritarian institution,"" Dawisha said.
In regards to elections, Dawisha said ballot boxes are stuffed in an effort to silence opposition and allow the government to pursue its own interests. The election process is so rapid that private interests are the only ones served, he said.
Dawisha ended the lecture on an optimistic note, explaining the struggle for democracy is filled with more hope today than it has been in the past.
""It is now the people who will become the architects of their future,"" Dawisha said.
