Correction appended.
Panelists attributed the ongoing protests in Egypt and Tunisia to oppressive living conditions and changing demographics at a forum held Monday by the Watson Institute for International Studies.
"The usual suspects are not the ones who have been organizing the protests," said panelist Melani Cammett, associate professor of political science and director of the Middle East studies program. "It's these youth-based groups."
The four speakers at the forum — Cammett, Interim Joukowsky Family Librarian for Middle Eastern Studies Ian Straughn, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cogut Center for the Humanities Shiva Balaghi and Assistant Professor of Archaeology Laurel Bestock — sought to pinpoint the central reasons behind the protests. Michael Kennedy, director of the Watson Institute, served as the moderator for the discussion.
Both Cammett and Straughn identified poverty as a backdrop for the protests. "Poverty is a huge issue," Cammett said. "Half of Egypt is living at or below the poverty threshold."
Straughn emphasized the severity of inflation in Egypt, mentioning that many Egyptians can barely afford bread.
But Cammett stressed that "economic reasons alone do not explain why protests erupt." She and Straughn said corruption and unemployment also incited the protests.
"In both Tunisia and Egypt, there were opposition groups that were incredibly repressed, especially in Tunisia," Cammett said. Because Tunisia is less well-known in America, many people were not aware of the repression, she added.
Many Tunisians did not even know about the extent of the repression, Balaghi said, but "Wikileaks made people aware of specific incidents and was one of the triggers of the protests."
Unemployment is another major issue in both countries. Straughn said many protests in Tunisia were instigated by young people. "Even skilled university graduates with many degrees have no opportunities — only those with connections get jobs," he said, adding that the dearth of opportunities has contributed to a "brain drain."
"Many professionals who had the potential to play a big part in developing the country left to seek opportunities elsewhere," he said.
The speakers also emphasized that the majority of protestors are not affiliated with a particular political or religious organization. Both Tunisia and Egypt have enormous youth demographics that have taken charge of the protests, Cammett said, adding that social media such as Facebook were important in organizing the protests.
The attitudes toward democracy in the Middle East are changing with the growing youth demographic, Balaghi said. She stated that apathy is disappearing and the people are beginning to feel pride for their countries.
Bestock said there have been numerous instances in which Egyptian citizens have worked to protect museums, tombs and historical sites from looters. She said the Egyptians' pride for their country, culture and history is overwhelming.
The Watson Institute was packed with students and professors, some of whom sat in the aisles and on the floor to hear the panel.
"It's one of the most significant political events in our political lives," said Harry Reis '11.5. "I was really interested to hear the perspectives of Brown professors."
"I've been glued to the news because I've been so worried about my friends," said Sydney Silverstein '12, who studied abroad in Cairo last semester.
This revolution "could be a turning point in our relations with the Middle East," Balaghi said at the end of the panel discussion, adding that "the U.S. could come out with more stable and secure relationships with the Arab world."
A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed to panelist Melani Cammett, associate professor of political science and director of the Middle East studies program, the assertions that poverty catalyzed the protests in Egypt and Tunisia and that poverty in Tunisia is worse than in Egypt. Cammett believes that poverty is a "backdrop" for the Egyptian protests, she wrote in a follow-up e-mail to The Herald. Egypt is more impoverished than Tunisia. The Herald regrets the errors.
