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: Lebanon
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 »
Lebanon needs transformation, but civil society faces stiff opposition
#Lebanon civil society faces far stiffer opposition today than anything the embattled Syrians could mount in 2005, notes Shlomo Ben-Ami @ProSyn https://t.co/JEgTq79GFQ — Democracy Digest (@demdigest) August 11, 2020… Read more »
Lebanon – ‘big blast should lead to big change’
What kind of government leaves a mountain of explosive chemicals lying around unsafely for the better part of a decade? https://t.co/n8tQXZ0iwD — The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 7, 2020 After… 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 »
Lebanon’s protests: Prospects for change
Recent turmoil across the Middle East signals the possibility of a second Arab Spring, one observer suggests, noting that across the Arab world, an increasing number of citizens disagree with… Read more »
Arab democrats need ‘realistic pathways for change’
As a fresh wave of protests generates speculation about an Arab Spring 2.0, the challenge for MENA democrats is to move beyond calls for regime change and focus on building… Read more »
Arab Spring 2.0? Understanding the New Wave of Protests
A new wave of protests and demonstrations has erupted across the Middle East and North Africa over the past 9 months, the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program observes. In… Read more »
Explaining the global protest wave
Sixty-three people died over the weekend in a crackdown by security forces against ongoing anti-government protests [HT: CFR], according to the semi-official Iraq High Commission for Human Rights. Iraq is… Read more »
The protests in Lebanon and Iraq are really about…..
In both Iraq and Lebanon’s unfolding protests, people’s demands for accountable governance, economic relief and an end to corruption stand at odds with identity-based sectarian solidarity, argues Bassel F. Salloukh,… Read more »