The document provides background information on Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt leading up to the Arab Spring protests in 2011. It outlines key demographic data and timelines of political events for each country, including periods of authoritarian rule, economic struggles, and crackdowns on dissent. The document describes growing unrest in Tunisia and Egypt that ultimately led to the ousting of their long-time leaders, which then inspired protests against Gaddafi's regime in Libya.

1. Libya and the Arab Spring
Presentation by
Ahmed Kraima
for
UWM School of Continuing Education Dean’s Distinguished Lecture
October 12, 2011

2. Tunisia December 17, 2010

3. TUNISIA

4. TUNISIA DEMOGRAPHICS
Area 163,610
Population
p 10,629,186
, 9,
Unemployment 13%
Unemployment (15-24)
p y ( 5 4) 3
30%
Per capita $9,400

5. TUNISIA Timeline
1881 - French occupy Tunis. Tunisia is a French
protectorate from 1883.
1934 - Habib Bourguiba founds the pro-
independence Neo-Dustour Party.
1956 -Tunisia becomes independent with Bourguiba
as prime minister.
1957 -Tunisia becomes a republic.
T i i b bli

6. TUNISIA Timeline
1981 - First multi-party parliamentary elections
since independence. President Bourguiba's party
wins by a landslide.
1987 - Bloodless palace coup: Prime Minister Zine
El Abidi B Ali has P id t B
Abidine Ben h President Bourguiba d l d
ib declared
mentally unfit to rule and takes power himself.
1988-
1988 Referendum abolishing Presidency for Life. 5
Life
year terms, limit of 2 terms.

7. TUNISIA Timeline
1989- As sole candidate, Ben Ali wins first term as
president by 99.3% of the vote. Ruling party wins all
114 seats in the National Assembly.
1994- Ben Ali wins second term by 99.9% of the vote
1999- Ben Ali wins a third term (only 94.1%)
2004- 4th term (94.5%)
2009- 5th term (89.6%)

8. TUNISIA Timeline
2010- December 17th: Mohammed Bouazizi, a fruit
seller sets himself on fire in protest.
2010- D December 28th: B Ali i a national TV
b 8 Ben Ali, in ti l
address blames extremists and foreign media for the
unrest. Three governors from the Sidi Bouzid area
g
are dismissed.
2011 - January 14th: Ben Ali declares Emergency
Rule tl i
R l outlawing gatherings of more th 3 people.
th i f than l
Promises to hold parliamentary elections within 6
months. Flees to Saudi Arabia the same day. y

9. Egypt January 25, 2011

10. EGYPT

11. EGYPT DEMOGRAPHICS
Area 1,001,450
Population
p 82,079,632
, 79, 3
Population below poverty line 20%(2005)
Unemployment
p y 94
9.4%
Unemployment (15-24) 24.8
Per capita
p $ ,
$6,200

12. EGYPT Timeline
1956- July 23rd: Nasser ousts King Farouk.
1970- September 28th: Nasser dies and Sadat
97 p
becomes president. Sadat eases some of the
restrictions, imposed on political parties/groups, by
Nasser.
1981- October 6th: Sadat assassinated.
Mubarak b
M b k becomes president. Declares “ national state of
id t D l ti l t t f
emergency”

13. EGYPT Timeline
1987- October: Mubarak wins a second term, by
91% of the vote, in a national referendum. National
state of emergency renewed in 1988.
1993- October: Mubarak wins a third term with
96.3%
6 %
1999- Mubarak, fourth term with 93.8%
1990’s - d i
’ dominated by political suppression,
db li i l i
especially of the Muslim brotherhood.

14. EGYPT Timeline
2002- September: Mubarak’s son, Gamal, elected
secretary-general of the ruling party (NDP). A major
step towards succeeding his father as the president.
2004- Crack down on Muslim Brotherhood (54
arrested i M ) Al Gh d part approved after 4th
t d in May). Al-Ghad t d ft
application. Only two parties approved since 1977.
2005-
2005 Mubark wins fifth term (88.6) MB’s share
(88 6) MB s
increases from 17 seats to 88.

15. EGYPT Timeline
2008- National emergency law extended until 2010
(Mubarak promised to abolish during his 2005
presidential campaign.
April 6, 2008- National strike day
January 25, 2011- Day of revolt

16. Libya: Prelude to a revolution
February 17, 2011

17. LIBYA

18. LIBYA DEMOGRAPHICS
Area 1,759,540
,759,54
Population 6,597,960
Population below p
p poverty line
y 33
33%?
Unemployment 30%
Per capita
p $ 4,4
$14,400

19. LIBYA Timeline
1911- Libya is under Italian rule.
1942- Italians removed by Allies and country is
94 y y
divided between the French and the British.
Libya gains independence under King Idris.
1956- Oil exploration begins.
1961- Libya starts exporting oil for the first time.
1969- Gaddafi depose Idris in a bloodless coup.

20. LIBYA Timeline
1970- Closure of American airbases in Tripoli and
Tobruk.
1971- Proposal to Federation of Arab Republic
(Libya, Egypt, and Syria) fails.
1972- Libya-Egypt merger fails.
1973- April 16th: In the city of Zuwara, Gaddafi
declares the “Cultural R
d l h “C l l Revolution” and founding of
l i ” df di f
the “Revolutionary Committees.”

21. LIBYA Timeline
1976- April 7th: Members of the students unions, at
97 p ,
the Universities of Benghazi and Tripoli clash
government sponsored student unions. Leaders of
the i d
th independent student union are arrested and
d t t d t i t d d
jailed.
1977-
1977 Libya becomes “the Great Socialist People s
the People’s
Libyan Arab jamahiriyah.”
1977
1977- April: The first anniversary of the Libyan
students uprising. Student leaders arrested and hung
in public (on national television. Gaddafi forms
death squads to hunt down Libyan dissidents.

22. Confrontation(s) with the West
1981- US shoots down two Libyan airplanes over the
Gulf of Sirt.
1984 - UK breaks diplomatic relations with Libya
over the shooting of a British police officer, outside
the Libyan embassy in L d
th Lib b i London.
1988- December 21st: The Lockerbie plane bombing.
1992- UN imposes sanctions against Lib
i i i Libya.
1996- Abu Salim massacre.

23. Warming up to the West

24. LIBYA Timeline
2004- March: Tony Blair visits Libya (first visit for
a British PM since 1943).
2006- May US restores diplomatic relations with
Libya.
2008- Silvio Berlusconi issues an apology, to Libya,
over Italian Occupation. Five billion dollar
investment as compensation
compensation.
September 2008- Rice visits Libya.

25. LIBYA Timeline
2009- Gaddafi visits Italy, elected chairman of the
9 y,
African Union, celebrates 40 years of power,
Lockerbie bomber released from prison on for
humanitarian reasons?
h it i ?
2009/2010- Reform efforts to ease the transfer of
power from Gaddafi to his son and to tame the
masses
Mothers of the victims of Abu Salim massacre hire a
lawyer and intensify the pressure on the government

26. February 15, 2011- Lawyer representing the Abu
y 5, y p g
Salim families is arrested for demanding that the
government address the massacre. A protest calling
for hi
f his release began in Benghazi fueled b calls f
l b i B h i f l d by ll for
demonstration transmitted through the internet,
signal the beginning of the revolution
revolution.