Response to Chung
Word count min 100
Rwanda, like many authoritarian states, attempts to put up a strong image of how their state is strong and efficient, while not a lot of information gets out about the truth unless it’s from the mouth of the people. One of the more related cases is North Korea with its long-standing task to sabotage the image of the West and put up an image of how their life is supposedly like heaven on Earth. Until recently, they claim to have zero coronavirus cases to a point a meme has been generated that says that they were able to keep that number because they execute the confirmed cases before it is reported. Rwanda certainly isn’t any different than any other authoritarian state.
Victors write history, and blaming the RPF for Habyarimana’s assassination quickly became taboo, the equivalent of Holocaust denial. “Entertaining the possibility that, whether through rashness or ruthlessness, the leader routinely labeled in the West as ‘the Man Who Ended the Genocide’ might actually also have started it, would not do.” (Fletcher, 2021)
Though their policymaking is seen to be immoral and cruel, it’s built to be long-lasting. Their power to censor and control the media, and keep people’s priority off politics, is meant to keep the leader in power for as long as they can. They then can put up an image that everything is well through propaganda, strict laws, etc, and maintain their statement of deniability of any violence that occurs.
https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2021/04/do-not-disturb-paul-kagame-michela-wrong-review (Links to an external site.)
Discussion Instructions
Min 200 words
Technology and Regime Change! Technology is such a rapidly evolving and growing tool in revolution and uprisings. We are going to evaluate it’s use in a the Arab Spring protests of 2010 and also look at its potential as a tool going forward.
The Arab spring and the spread of revolutionary actions through many parts of the Middle East was very exciting for advocates of technology – but what role can/will technology ultimately play in revolution?
Read the following two pieces and then answer the questions below. In your initial response, make sure to reference BOTH articles App-powered protests put democracy in peril (pdf below) (Links to an external site.)
o Momani App-Powered Protests Put Democracy in Peril.pdf Download Momani App-Powered Protests Put Democracy in Peril.pdf
• Why did the ‘twitter revolutions’ fail? (Links to an external site.) (pdf below)
o Krastev why did the twitter revolutions fail.pdf Download Krastev why did the twitter revolutions fail.pdf
Questions:
What argument is made in each article? Why do the articles suggest that there was an assumption the technology fueled revolutions would work? Do you agree? What is the potential contribution of technology? Or does in make revolutionary success less likely?
