The Arab Spring and Democratic Socialization: International Influences

Abstract

The Arab Spring is symptomatic of a process of socialization through which democracy is spreading. With the emergence of a critical mass of democracies since the end of the Cold War, this process is gathering momentum. The existence of a strong and interdependent democratic community creates a virtuous cycle that produces democratic “spillover.” As discussed in chapter 2, transnational forces associated with the intensification of globalization have been critical in driving this pattern of global political change. In the Arab Spring, economic modernization and changes in communications technology delegitimized dictatorships and facilitated the regional diffusion of protests just as they did during the revolutions of 1989. In addition, transnational mechanisms of democratic socialization have been reinforced by international ones in the presence of a core of powerful democracies within the system of states. International pressures generated by the states’ system have operated at global and regional levels.