Arab Spring: Unfinished business or tragic legacy?
The uprisings of the Arab Spring seemed to represent a dramatic turning point in history, the sudden collapse of regimes and political systems few expected to be so fragile. But… Read more »
Category: Arab Spring
Arab Spring 10 years on: What went wrong?
A decade on, the hope that the Arab spring would bring democracy to the region looks forlorn. the Economist observes. Yet it is too early to say that the Arab… Read more »
Ten years after the Arab Spring: Why democracy failed
A majority in nine countries across the Arab world feel they are living in significantly more unequal societies today than before the Arab spring, an era of uprisings, civil wars… Read more »
Arab Spring 2.0? Five lessons from 2011
The conditions that spurred the Arab uprisings, including government corruption, failed economies and deteriorating social services, have only intensified in many countries, exacerbated by 2020’s Covid-19 pandemic, notes analyst Megan O’Toole…. Read more »
The false promise of regime change
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s repeated assertion around the time of the Iraq war that Washington’s pursuit of “stability at the expense of democracy” in the Middle East had produced… Read more »
Tunisia’s political wrangling: Disarray & dysfunction boosts support for populists
The Tunisian Crisis and Migrations: Myths and Reality https://t.co/MVy9tgKx8X — Democracy Digest (@demdigest) August 13, 2020 A Tunisian populist politician who aligns herself with an ousted dictator has been… Read more »
Essential weekend reading: Why the West is worth saving
No historical rhythm guarantees that democracy is just around the corner in China or Russia or anywhere else, argues Michael Kimmage, Professor of History at The Catholic University of America…. Read more »
Fostering resiliency for MENA civil society
The Gezi trial, where 16 civil society activists and human rights defenders face possible life sentences for attempting to overthrow the government, has been a “tragic case study of the… Read more »
Why Tunisia’s transition succeeded
Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed has appointed Elyes Fakhfakh to be prime minister on January 20. Fakhfakh, who served as tourism minister following the revolution, and then as finance minister in… Read more »
Fear and learning: Arab world not finished with democracy
A vibrant protest movement is visible in Iran and across the Middle East — but it isn’t calling for Islamic revolution, much less the tired misrule of the mullahs, The… Read more »