The challenges of regime change and political transition in Egypt and Libya after the Arab Uprisings: critical reviews of factors and implications

Abstract

AbstractThis article critically reviews the issues of the failure of democratic and political transition in Egypt and Libya in the post-Arab Spring Revolution. Several factors have been identified as the main contributors to the failed democratic process. The first one is the clash of ideology and political approach, as well as the adaptation of different patterns of administration, and the lack of compromise between the Islamists and the Secularists. The Islamist actors in Egypt that started to become politically dominant after the 2011–2012 election until the middle of 2013 is seen to have been lacking experience in governmental affairs, foreign policy formulation and economic management, owing to the old regimes’ restrictions that permitted them to freely involved in politics. There is also an external factor, such as the intervention from foreign and regional state actors on the internal politics of Egypt (against the Freedom and Justice Party’s rule under Morsi) and Libya (the effort to thwart Gaddafi’s regime by NATO and Western-led coalition). Thirdly, the factor of an internal fragmentation, such as the role of the military institution in Egypt that has always been active in the government’s policy-making process. In Libya, the social structure based on the competitive influence of the local tribes over politics also affect the effort for peace-building and democratisation. This study concludes that the Arab Spring Revolution in Egypt dan Libya has successfully stymied the old regime’s dictatorship, and yet it fails to translate the people’s hopes for political reform and economic changes via democratisation.

Keywords

• The Arab Spring
• democratic failure
• factors
• Islamist-Secularist
• military intervention
• foreign involvement