Learning from the Arab Spring: Why Algerians Oppose a Praetorian Military

• In Event: Civilian-Military Relations, Authoritarian Regime Durability and Democratization

Abstract

The 2011 revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia emboldened protesters across the region to take to the streets and spread tactics on how best to topple dictators. This paper argues that the subsequent transitions in Egypt and Tunisia has also contributed to cross-border political learning about the proper role of the military in democratic transitions. In particular, it contends that Algerians protesting in 2019 have learned from Egypt and Tunisia about the negative consequences of a military playing the role of guardian or referee of the transition. In a large online survey of 13,000 Algerians, I find that priming them to think of lessons learned from Egypt and Tunisia significantly reduced support for the military playing a referee role, and that this effect is greater than domestic political learning from Algeria’s own attempt at democratization in the 1990s. The paper thus provides some of the first experimental evidence of cross-border political learning in attitudes toward the military.

Author

• Sharan Grewal, College of William & Mary