Why reform not revolution: a political opportunity analysis of Morocco 2011 protests movement

Abstract

The Arab revolutions that started in 2011 and the rapid political change that took place in countries that were considered stable caught researchers by surprise. This focused attention on the need to study these countries using different disciplines and tools. Social movement theories are one of the available tools that can complement political theories and help explore elements affecting the behaviour of the states and the protestors. A media analysis of two Moroccan newspapers was used to study change in the political field. This paper explores ways in which changes in political opportunity influenced the perception of the players in the political system and ultimately led to the constitutional reform. This paper does not aim to measure the success of the enacted reform, but rather to study institutionalisation, state repression, and elite division that affected the behaviour of both protestors and the state in Morocco.