What was the Arab Spring and how did

it spread?
The wave of protests and civil unrest that swept the Arab
world ushered in some changes, showing that peaceful
demonstrations have power.
2 MINUTE READ
The effects of the Tunisian Revolution spread strongly to five other
countries: Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain, where either the regime was toppled or major
uprisings and social violence occurred, including riots, civil wars or insurgencies.

The Arab Spring (Arabic: ‫ )الربيع العرب‬was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed
rebellions that spread across North Africa and the Middle East in the early 2010s. It began in response to
oppressive regimes and a low standard of living, starting with protests in Tunisia (Noueihed, 2011;
Maleki, 2011).[1][2] In the news, social media has been heralded as the driving force behind the swift
spread of revolution throughout the world, as new protests appear in response to success stories shared
from those taking place in other countries (see Howard, 2011).[3] In many countries, the governments
have also recognized the importance of social media for organizing and have shut down certain sites or
blocked Internet service entirely, especially in the times preceding a major rally (see The Telegraph,
2011).[4] Governments have also scrutinized or suppressed discussion in those forums through accusing
content creators of unrelated crimes or shutting down communication on specific sites or groups, such as
through Facebook (Solomon, 2011; Seyid, 2011).[5]
The effects of the Tunisian Revolution spread strongly to five other
countries: Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain, where either the regime was toppled or major
uprisings and social violence occurred, including riots, civil wars or insurgencies. Sustained street
demonstrations took place in Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Iranian Khuzestan,[citation
needed] Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Sudan. Minor protests occurred in Djibouti, Mauritania,

the Palestinian National Authority, Saudi Arabia, and the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.[6] A major
slogan of the demonstrators in the Arab world is ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ an-niẓām ("the people want to
bring down the regime").[7]
The wave of initial revolutions and protests faded by mid-2012, as many Arab Spring demonstrations
were met with violent responses from authorities,[8][9][10] as well as from pro-government militias, counter-
demonstrators and militaries. These attacks were answered with violence from protestors in some
cases.[11][12][13] Large-scale conflicts resulted: the Syrian Civil War;[14][15] the Iraqi insurgency and the following
civil war;[16] the Egyptian Crisis, coup, and subsequent unrest and insurgency;[17] the Libyan Civil War; and
the Yemeni Crisis and following civil war.[18]
A power struggle continued after the immediate response to the Arab Spring. While leadership changed
and regimes were held accountable, power vacuums opened across the Arab world. Ultimately it resulted
in a contentious battle between a consolidation of power by religious elites and the growing support for
democracy in many Muslim-majority states.[19] The early hopes that these popular movements would end
corruption, increase political participation, and bring about greater economic equity quickly collapsed in
the wake of the counter-revolutionary moves by foreign state actors in Yemen and of the Saudi–UAE-
linked military deep state in Egypt,[20]the regional and international military interventions in Bahrain and
Yemen, and the destructive civil wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.[21]
Some have referred to the succeeding and still ongoing conflicts as the Arab Winter.[14][15][16][17][18] As of May
2018, only the uprising in Tunisia has resulted in a transition to constitutional democratic
governance.[6] Recent uprisings in Sudan and Algeria show that the conditions that started the Arab Spring
are not going away and political movements against authoritarianism and exploitation are still
occurring.[22]

BY ERIN BLAKEMORE

Beginning in December 2010, anti-government protests rocked Tunisia. By

early 2011 they had spread into what became known as the Arab Spring—a
wave of protests, uprisings, and unrest that spread across Arabic-speaking
countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Pro-democratic protests,
which spread rapidly due to social media, ended up toppling the
governments of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen.

But though they seemed poised to install democratic leadership and quell
government repression, the uprisings also led to armed conflict in some
countries, including civil war in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen.

It started in Tunisa
After Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, killed himself in January
2011, Tunisians took to the streets. Bouazizi had been harassed by police
officers who attempted to shut down his business with no recourse, and
his suicide by self-immolation galvanized Tunisian protesters. They
demonstrated against government corruption and Tunisia’s autocratic
president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. A month later, after 23 years in power,
he fled to Saudi Arabia.

The protests in Tunisia—documented and shared by mobile devices—

spread to neighboring countries. Soon anti-government demonstrations
had erupted in Bahrain, where protesters demanded the release of
political prisoners and human rights reforms; Jordan; Kuwait, whose
parliament was dissolved in response to public pressure; Libya, where a
government crackdown on protesters sparked a civil war; and Yemen,
where massive protests sparked a political crisis and forced its president to
step down.

Cairo’s Tahrir Square was the site of 18 days of huge protests that brought
together tens of thousands of Egyptians demanding that their president,
Hosni Mubarak, step down. The dramatic protests eventually forced
Mubarak, who had ruled for 30 years, out of office. The revolution ushered
in an era of political chaos and instability in Egypt, which has continued to
repress its citizens.

The dream of democracy also proved fleeting in Syria, where the peaceful
pro-democracy protesters were met with government opposition. After
the Syrian government killed and imprisoned Arab Spring protesters, the
country split into factions and sectarian violence broke out. Civil war soon
followed. Foreign intervention has failed to stop the war, which
has displaced more than half of all Syrians and killed up to half a
million people.

What did the Arab Spring accomplish?

“Arab Spring” was first used by American conservative commentators, but
has since been challenged as an inadequate misnomer. Since 2011, the
goals of many Arab Spring protesters have been denied as autocratic
governments regain power and crack down on civil liberties.

Nonetheless, the uprisings have shown the power of mass demonstrations

and peaceful protest, as well as the ability of social media to both fuel
protest and communicate its goals to the outside world. The tumult of the
Arab Spring also showed autocratic governments—and the rest of the
world—that millions of people living in Islamic nations believe in free
expression and democratic governance.