Outcomes of the Arab Spring

For centuries, Arab regimes have expropriated, abused and taken advantage of power and wealth from their people; it was only a matter of time before things turned around. The year 2010 will be remembered in history as the year that witnessed the uprising of the Arab Spring, the term "Arab Spring" denotes the Revolutions of 1848; a series of political turmoil swept through Europe in 1848. Moreover, in the aftermath of the Iraq War the term ‘Arab Spring’ was used by analysts who foresaw a major Arab movement towards democratization. The Arab world has frequently seen deaths as a result of raids, regional or civil wars, terrorist attacks, sectarian and racial violence, or foreign occupations . But in 2010, the milieu in which innocent civilians died was different. Martyrs fell as a direct product of the struggle for the right to pride, liberty, social justice, and the rejection of autocratic rule; they died in the fight for democracy and human rights. This recent struggle for freedom and dignity has been commandeered by authoritarian regimes in order to classify those resisting their authority as unpatriotic servants of “foreign” interests. (add quote)

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali,Tunisia’s president, has deceived Tunisians for more than 20 years while also proliferating resentment across social classes. Ben Ali’s flaunting of wealth compounded the anger of economically deprived areas. Tunisia, a much loved traveler destination, was in fact a mafia state, controlled by the relatives of Ben Ali’s wife’s family, who claim a share of almost every division of the economy. On December 17 2010, a young man, Mohamed Bouazizi, drenched himself with gasoline and set himself ablaze, sparking an uprising that rapidly spread to neighbouring cities. Bouazizi, a poor man struggling to provide for his family, had settled his cart infront of the governorate building and was told to move away by a policewoman, the dispute escalated and his merchandise was confiscated, sending him