Interview with Abbas Djavadi
May 29. 2011, interviewed by Erik Siegl, HBF Prague, for the German Heinrich Boell-Stiftung
Mr. Djavadi, a lot has been said about the importance of new media for the “Arab Spring”. However, these are “only” tools for people to mobilise themselves. What were the factors that in your view emboldened people to engage in such massive uprisings against authoritarianism?
I would not speculate with fashionable theories that Facebook triggered the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. Let me say that communication tools in general have played a big role, no doubt. On the other hand, we should not overestimate their importance. In Syria, some regions have been completely disconnected from the mobile phone network since the beginning of the revolt. Mobile phones are owned by about 90% of population and are far more important than social networks like Facebook or Twitter. Social networking plays an even more marginal role in Libya. The driving force behind the uprisings is the bold and frustrated young generation, not the technology. In Iran internet is quite wide-spread, though with limited speed, but there is no revolution yet because of filtering, censorship and fear of repression.
Back to your question – nobody has a single explanation for that. Local factors in revolts clearly vary from country to country and we must consider them on a case-by-case basis rather than making far-reaching generalisations. Let’s take Egypt as an example – some speculate that Mubarak’s age and his ailing health played a major role. The regime’s affinity with the West was a factor; the West could put pressure on the regime and persuade Mubarak not to crush the revolution by force. In this sense, authoritarians open to the West seem to be more prone to change under internal pressure. In Egypt the army played the decisive role, but this is not likely in Iran or Syria, where it is in a subordinate position.
Recently you wrote in your commentary that events in Iran in 2009 and now the uprisings in Arab countries might have heralded the beginning of an era of “post-Islamism”. Could you explain what you meant by that, please?
The demands raised by the people in the streets have nothing to do with the Islamist movements which were so fashionable 20-30 years ago. Accountability of the government, basic rights, freedom of speech, free media and the right to elect and depose leaders democratically are driving the protests. The groups that may come to power will probably be sympathetic towards Islamic values, but I am of the opinion that today’s Islamists in Egypt are not the same as those of 30 years ago in Iran. Also Turkey and the “Justice and Development Party” (AKP) have served as a certain model in terms of the political transformation of Islamist parties.