What became of the ‘Arab Spring’?

Context

Recently, Tunisian President is set to secure more power under a new constitution that is expected to pass in a referendum.

What was the Arab Spring?

• The name ‘Arab Spring’ is a reference to the Revolutions in 1848 when political upheavals swept Europe. 
• The Arab Spring was a series of pro-democracy uprisings that enveloped several largely Muslim countries, including Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Bahrain.
• The events in these nations generally began in the spring of 2011, which led to the name. 
• However, the political and social impact of these popular uprisings remains significant today, years after many of them ended.
• When protests broke out in Tunisia in late 2010 and spread to other countries, there were hopes that the Arab world was in for massive changes.
• The expectation was that in countries where people rose, such as Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain and Syria, the old autocracies would be replaced with new democracies.
• But Tunisia is the only country where the revolutionaries outwitted the counter-revolutionaries. They overthrew Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s dictatorship, and the country transitioned to a multi-party democracy.
• But except Tunisia, the country-specific stories of the Arab uprising were tragic.

Features

• The Arab uprising was originally triggered by a combination of factors.
• The economic model based on patronage was crumbling in these countries.
• The rulers had been in power for decades, and there was popular longing for freedom from their repressive regimes.
• More important, the protests were transnational in nature, though the targets of the revolutionaries were their respective national governments.
• The driving force behind the protests was a pan-Arabist anger against the old system. That’s why it spread like wildfire from Tunis to Cairo, Benghazi and Manama.
• They may have failed to reshape the Arab political order, but the members of the uprisings appear to have survived the tragedy of ‘Arab Spring’.

Arab Spring Movements

• Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia
• A street vendor immolated himself against mistreatment of local officials.
• Protests followed throughout the country.
• President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country.
• Later, a democratically chosen President and Prime Minister took office.

• Revolution in Egypt
• Young Egyptians protested through social media following Tunisian protests.
• The Egyptian army refused to use force against protesters.
• President Hosni Mubarak left office.
• Military enjoyed a high public approval in the interim before a new government.

• Other Countries 
• Encouraged by Tunisian and Egyptian protests, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and Libya held demonstrations. 
• Unlike Tunisian and Egyptian, the struggles between opposition and ruling regimes turned bloody and violent.