Arab Revolutions of 2011: An Explanatory Model

Abstract

This paper provides a theoretical framework and elements of a causal model to explain the Arab revolutions occurred in 2011(1). The main thesis of the model is that Arab regimes’ policies- in terms of their inherent nature, structure, and outcomes- created a certain individual and collective psychological makeup which, in turn, has transformed the rational calculating modalities for both individuals and groups. Essentially, there are patterns of ordering preferences and types of strategic interactions, both individually and collectively. The aforementioned components of the thesis are elaborated as follows: The regimes’ policies and their outcomes represent the macro-level of analysis, the individual rational calculations and corresponding decisions pertain to the micro-level, and the impact of the psychological makeup on calculations and preferences provides for the bridge between the two modes of analysis, the link being the notion of dignity. Drawing from diverse sources and theories, the model attempts to bring the notion of dignity into political science analysis, claiming that it is the only proper explanatory link between the rigidity of structuralism and the justification of agency.