HS 311 Power Politics & State Shahul 088016A12

Reflection Memo

My partner and I have chosen to explore the importance the military institution plays in

modern revolutions. We chose two, the ousting of Thaksin in Thailand in 2006 and the

Jasmine Revolution which ousted Ben Ali this January.

I am very interested in this topic as it is very current. As we speak, the Middle East polities

are experiencing a change in regime. What started off in Tunisia has expanded to Egypt,

Libya and even Syria. Though the countries are very different from each other, the

revolutions taking place there most share one common focus. They are not led by any

political party or institution or religious backgrounds. They are all lead by the people to

change consciously change the way they are governed. This, to me is very inspirational.

What was interesting in these revolutions, specifically in Tunisia and Egypt was the role of

the military where they became the guardians of the civilians. This got me thinking about

other revolutions we have seen in the 21st century and how the military institutions were

involved in them. We decided to pick Thailand as a contrasting case study as the Thai Army

initiated and implemented the exit of Thaksin.

I believe we have sufficiently elaborated, with the word limit restriction in mind, that

regardless of the level of saliency, the military this holds the trump card in revolutions.

I have learnt to look at the various factors determining a coup. Many a times, it is not as

obvious as it seems. Though not mentioned in the essay, in Tunisia’s case, I believe that the

right events fell in place at the right time for the coup to be successful. For example, how the

online activist group, Anonymous, provided support to Tunisian in their new social media

zeal to spread the revolution throughout the country.

HS 311 Power Politics & State Shahul 088016A12

I sincerely feel that the word limit is very restricting. I understand that it was our choice to

choose this topic, but in discussing these revolutions, I feel that many interesting issue had to

be left aside to fit the limit.

All in all, this was an exciting and fruitful endeavour.

Plus, I believe that as a human being; have the responsibility to highlight the plight of others

who are fighting for their rights in any way possible.

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.  ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

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