Nouredine Jebnoun: Article Analysis

Authoritarian governments use many tools to retain power. Two of their most important tools are their internal security forces, and the country’s army. If wielded correctly, these forces allow an autocrat to silence dissent, prevent revolt, and continue to hold complete power over their country. However, these forces do not always play this role, and there is a complex set of interactions between the government, the military, and the population which play a significant role in determining how a country’s armed forces will react to public outcry. This is one of the main points articulated in the article, In the Shadow of Power: Civil-Military Relations and the Tunisian Popular Uprising, by Nouredine Jebnoun. This article goes on to use Tunisia as a specific example of where a deep rift between an authoritarian ruler and his military force played a significant role in that leader’s demise. To show this, it discusses a framewok for civil-military relations in the Arab world, relates that specifically to Tunesia. It then traces the events between the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi through the abdication of President Ben-Ali, paying
However, I do think the article could have done a better job in proving it’s general thesis. The article has terrific discussion on the inherent dilemma of being an authoritarian ruler who relies on the military. On one hand, they need a strong military to support their rule. On the other hand, a stronger military is more likely to lead a coup. Ben Ali’s decision was to keep the military week, underequipped, and ill-informed. For many years this worked to prevent the military form challenging his rule, while at the same time widening the divide between his regime and his military. The article does a very good job tying this to the eventual role of the military during the Arab Spring crisis, when they eventually stood aside and did not violently shut down the