{ The Arab Spring Understanding the Revolutions of 2011 by Jack O. Goldstone The Post-Islamist Revolutions by Asef Bayat

Arab Spring Dec. 2010: A Tunisian vendor sets himself on fire in protest of police brutality Jan. 2011: Thousands take to the streets in Tunisia demanding better living conditions Jan. 2011: Tunisian president steps down and flees to Saudi Arabia Jan. 2011: Thousands take to the streets in Jordan in protest of high fuel prices Jan. 2011: Algerians protest outside the parliament building Jan. 2011: “Day of Rage” in Egypt as tens of thousands take the streets in protest demanding the ousting of then President Mubarak Feb. 2011: Mubarak dismisses his government and surrenders power (ending almost 30 years in control) March 2011: no-fly zone in Libya April 2011: protesters killed in Syria leading to an ongoing civil war October 2011: Gaddafi killed (ending 42 years of power)

  2011 saw dramatic changes in the Arab world. Unprecedented popular demonstrations in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya led to the overturning of autocratic rule in North Africa. , triggering calls for change throughout the Arab world (among others in Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen), and beyond.  These protests, demanding greater political freedom, economic opportunity, and an end to systemic corruption, have resonated deeply across the region, triggering calls for change throughout the Arab world (among others in Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen), and beyond.   Arab political language is changing: “The new slogans are about equitable distribution of wealth, defeating nepotism and corruption, freedom of expression and assembly, all of which are rights meant to restore self-respect and render to people their due sense of dignity,” argues Nabil Echchaibi, an Arab scholar. At the heart of the Arab revolts: A search for dignity

A status report on the Arab awakening (As of July 2011) Source: The Economist – 14 July 2011

 One of the remarkable aspects of the prospective democratic transitions in North Africa and the Middle East is that it has taken so long.  With the exception of Central Asia, the Arab world is the last major region to start down the democratic path.   Since “the third wave” of global democratization dozens of countries with all kinds of authoritarian political systems shifted into the democratic camp.   As most of the world was transformed, however, one area remained frozen in time: the Arab Middle East. Intro DO NOT WRITE

 Many  Many of the challenges, frustrations, and unmet aspirations in the Arab world have existed for years. Why then is there such agitation for reform now? There is no single answer.   No one thought Tunisia was on the verge of an eruption; that the upheaval would spread from Tunisia to Egypt; and that the shocks would reverberate around the Middle East.   The old regimes themselves were surprised by the force and speed of the uprisings.  sprang up and seized the moment (with the help of social media and communications technologies that proved to be a new and powerful political tool).  Even traditional opposition parties were behind the curve, often remaining hesitant well after newer popular protest movements sprang up and seized the moment (with the help of social media and communications technologies that proved to be a new and powerful political tool). Why now? DO NOT WRITE

 The uprising began in December 2010, when a fruit vendor, set himself on fire in Tunisia to protest his lack of opportunity and the disrespect of the police.  The Tunisian revolution was the catalyst that started the Egyptian revolt and uprisings in other countries.  The Tunisians were the first to break the barrier of fear, which had avoided protests before, over worsening economic, social and political conditions which needed only a spark to explode forth. How did it start?

 Rising food prices.  High Unemployment Rate (Especially youth Unemployment)  Frustration with closed, corrupt, unresponsive political systems.  Increasing inequality. Triggers and Drivers

 Fast-growing and urbanizing populations in the Middle East have been hurt by low wages and by food prices that rose by 32% in the last year alone, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  But it is not simply such rising prices, or a lack of growth, that fuels  But it is not simply such rising prices, or a lack of growth, that fuels revolutions; it is the persistence of widespread and unrelieved poverty amid increasingly extravagant wealth (i.e. inequality).  Although economies across the region have grown in recent years, the gains have bypassed the majority of the population, being amassed instead by a wealthy few. The Collapse of Sultanistic Regimes: The Arab Spring DO NOT WRITE

 Discontent has also been strengthened by high unemployment, which has stemmed in part from the sharp increase in the Arab world's young population.  Not only is the proportion of young people in the Middle East extraordinarily high, but their numbers have grown quickly over a short period of time.  Many of these young people have been able to go to university, especially in recent years. The Arab Spring