Self-determination can be described as the ability of individuals and groups to be able to enjoy the values of life, prosperity, freedom, and human dignity. Self-determination means to define one's own destiny; and is especially effective when involving the younger generation, the empowerment of women, and the economically disenfranchised.
Since the 19th century, the idea of self-determination has been applied to the building of nation states, and in the second half of the 20th century it has often been used in response to colonialization. However, a new definition of self-determination is evolving in the second decade of the 21st century inspired by current events in North Africa and the Middle East described as the 'Arab Spring.'
Struggles in Egypt, Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen can and should be considered expressions of this new form of self-determination -- not necessarily with its traditionally understood state-shattering character but with the objective to make the people's voices heard and renovate the nation within the existing boundaries.
Talk of the role of religion within these movements has largely been framed in negative terms. Yet religion has an important role to play in these self-determination movements and religious leaders and communities should be part of any international policy calculations towards the region.
Religion gets to the core of who people are and aspire to be. The term religion is a stand in for the striving of an ultimate realization, enlightenment, or union with the will of the Divine. It involves ideas, but also action. Religion is never abstract, it is always very specific and consists of a dynamic combination of moving parts, both seen and unseen, that animate individuals, communities and nations. For that reason religion becomes an even more powerful factor when discussing self determination.
Even the term 'self-determination' has to be modified as religious people may understand the movement of their life not as self-determined but rather as co-determined with God's will. Religious commitments recommend what is worth struggling for, sustain the endurance of a people in their efforts, provide a prolonged sense of eternal rather than temporal time, and form a cost/benefit analysis which includes an ultimate sacrifice as worthy of the ultimate reward.
When speaking of religion's influence on self-determination we can say that instead of religion being an opiate, it functions like an amphetamine.
Religion can be important within cultural or national identity as it involves a transcendent or ultimate value. Religious identity not only affirms a core connection with the tenets of the faith, but also a Divine sanction of that identity and all those that hold it. Religious identity can be a source of communal and national cohesion, but it can also trigger disconnect with people who do not share the same faith identity, and thereby the same connection with the Divine.
We should recognize that all countries have religious histories that are either implicitly or explicitly tied in with their current character. India, Pakistan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Iran, and most recently Sudan, are vivid examples. But the United States and the member states of the European Union also have their unique religious DNA that informs how they will manage questions of national allegiance, as well as the best ways to incorporate people of other faith commitments within their borders.
The role of religion complicates self-determination efforts as it both includes and excludes. International relations come into play as outside powers may feel compelled to become involved within the internal religious tensions of another state -- particularly when they share religious commitments and/or identity with what they perceive as a persecuted religious minority within a foreign sovereign territory.
In terms of the new form of self-determination in the Middle East, we have both positive and negative examples of the role religion can play. The case of Egypt demonstrates the tenuous possibility that the religious difference between Coptic Christians and Sunni Muslims need not shatter the state, but that both religious communities can be involved in one new national identity that includes their religious traditions. By contrast, Bahrain has seen a movement originally inspired by socio-economic and political concerns devolve into a conflict increasingly defined by religious difference and exacerbated by outside intervention.
It would be a grave mistake for those who seek to encourage peaceful change in the region to ignore the powerful role that religion can play -- both as a means of reconciliation or disintegration.
Prof. Wolfgang Danspeckgruber is the Founding Director of The Liechtenstein Institute On Self-Determination (LISD) at Princeton University; Paul Raushenbush is former Co-Director of the Program on Religion Diplomacy and International Relations at LISD.
Katherine Marshall: Healing Memories: An Exchange With Peacemaker Mohamed Sahnoun
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No, sorry, you cannot have both religion and self-determination. How could you when religion is the opposite of self-determination? Egypt will inevitably turn into an Islamic theocracy like Iran (but Sunni) or it will slide back into military dictatorship. There are no other options.
Not nearly enough and they will fail and most know that already. At this point, they will have to find some satisfaction in having input in the writing of their new Constitution, but they will be demonized and marginalized there by the Islamists.
At best Egypt will become something resembling Turkey ruled by an Islamist Party with Egypt's Army keeping them on a very short leash. However these two may disagree, they do find commonality in the job of purging Egypt of as many secularists as they can without attracting too much attention.
Many will soon see what Mubarak kept in a box all these years and it won't be pretty
LOL...GREAT EXAMPLES! Because in all these places religion has brought so much peace and freedom and progress.
Oh, right on. I mean, why spend months creating a constitution which you could easily write if you just stayed up for 4 or 5 days?
Religion is Power, Politics, is a Crime, a big business against human dignity
Look you the History
How about addressing the fact that in America we have both positive and negative examples of the role religion can play?
On one hand, we have humble, gentle, kind, peaceful, progressive Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and people from other religions doing good works.
On the other hand, we have proud, arrogant, malicious, militiant "conservative" Christians inciting conflict and division while they claim to "do many wonderful works in the name of the Lord -- just as Jesus predicted the hypocrites would.
If the good remain silent, hypocrites masquerading as good rule.
The Coaltion of Jews, Christians and Muslims for Peace and Freedom, at http://cjcmp.org
I would much rather live in a country whose main religious identity is Christian than in an Islamic one.
Why would these authors want to interfere in these states if they had respect for other religions?
When the calamity of time affects one limb The other limbs cannot remain at rest.
If thou hast no sympathy for the troubles of others
Thou art unworthy to be called by the name of a human."
By Saadi, 1195–1226 C.E.
Nifty, isn't it? Governments around the world scrambling to keep up with all this change going on.
Are the both of you ready and prepared for the US and Canadian Spring? For the global human spring? Where ordinary people hack into the reality and world that has already been created for them and live self-determined lives?
It is truly an awesome time to be alive.
It was a great thing that the start of this revolt was non-violent (from the protestors side) and non-religious.
The movement in the successful parts of the arab spring showed great courage and wisdom in keeping the religious voices down. What would have happened if the religious leaders had been given a louder voice? Religious people in the US started to heat up their rhetoric and warn against supporting the revolt. It could after all "become a new Iran".
As someone who does not see any value to religion, or a reason to lead my life according to the superstitions of people that lived centuries ago, I still respect someone who says they are believers but at the same time says 'leave religion out of this'. This is the same wisdom as the founding fathers of the USA had (many of them were non-religious). As a "nobody on the internet" I admire your work towards "self determinatÂion ...within national boundaries and shared values of personnal freedom and human dignity".
And again, I am a devout Arab muslim and proud of it. My other religion is freedom and the whole world is my witness.