Arab Spring

CONTENTS

1. What Is the Arab Spring?

2. Jasmine Revolution

3. Why The Name ‘Arab Spring’?

4. Arab Spring Aftermath

5. Muammar Gaddafi

6. Bashar al Assad

7. Arab Spring Timeline

8. Sources
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.

What Is the Arab Spring?

The Arab Spring was a loosely related group of protests that ultimately resulted in
regime changes in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Not all of the
movements, however, could be deemed successful—at least if the end goal was
increased democracy and cultural freedom.

In fact, for many countries enveloped by the revolts of the Arab Spring, the period since
has been hallmarked by increased instability and oppression.

Given the significant impact of the Arab Spring throughout northern Africa and the
Middle East, it’s easy to forget the series of large-scale political and social movements
arguably began with a single act of defiance.
Jasmine Revolution

The Arab Spring began in December 2010 when Tunisian street vendor Mohammed
Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest the arbitrary seizing of his vegetable stand by
police over failure to obtain a permit.

Bouazizi’s sacrificial act served as a catalyst for the so-called Jasmine Revolution in
Tunisia.

The street protests that ensued in Tunis, the country’s capital, eventually prompted
authoritarian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to abdicate his position and flee to Saudi
Arabia. He had ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 20 years.

Activists in other countries in the region were inspired by the regime change in
Tunisia—the country’s first democratic parliamentary elections were held in October
2011—and began to protest similar authoritarian governments in their own nations.

The participants in these grassroots movements sought increased social freedoms and
greater participation in the political process. Notably, this includes the Tahrir Square
uprisings in Cairo, Egypt and similar protests in Bahrain.

However, in some cases, these protests morphed into full-scale civil wars, as evidenced
in countries such as Libya, Syria and Yemen.

Why The Name ‘Arab Spring’?

The name "Arab Spring” is a reference to the Revolutions of 1848—also known as the
“People’s Spring”—when political upheavals swept Europe. Ever since, “spring” has
been used to describe movements toward democracy like Czechoslovakia’s 1968
“Prague Spring.” Western media began popularizing the term “Arab Spring” in 2011.

Arab Spring Aftermath

Most notably, in Egypt, where early changes arising from the Arab Spring gave many
hope after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, authoritarian rule has apparently
returned. Following the controversial election of Mohamed Morsi in 2012, a coup led by
defense minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi installed the latter as president in 2013, and he
remains in power today.

Muammar Gaddafi

In Libya, meanwhile, authoritarian dictator Colonel Muammar Qaddafi was overthrown

However, since Qaddafi’s downfall, Libya has remained in a state of civil war, and two
opposing governments effectively rule separate regions of the country. Libya’s civilian
population has suffered significantly during the years of political upheaval, with violence
in the streets and access to food, resources and healthcare services severely limited.

This has contributed, in part, to the ongoing worldwide refugee crisis, which has seen
thousands flee Libya, most often by boat across the Mediterranean Sea, with hopes of
new opportunities in Europe.

Bashar al Assad

Similarly, the civil war in Syria that began in the aftermath of the Arab Spring lasted for
several years, forcing many to leave the country to seek refuge in Turkey, Greece and
throughout Western Europe. For a time, the militant group ISIS had declared a
caliphate—a nation governed by Islamic law—in northeastern Syria.
The group executed thousands of people, and many others fled the region in fear of
their lives.

Yet, although ISIS has largely been defeated in Syria, the oppressive regime of long-
time dictator Bashar al Assad remains in power in the country.

In addition, the ongoing civil war in Yemen can also be traced to the Arab Spring. The
country’s infrastructure has suffered significant damage, and the conflict has devolved
into tribal warfare.

And in Bahrain, peaceful pro-democracy protests in the capital Manama in 2011 and
2012 were violently suppressed by the government of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Officially, the country has a constitutional monarchy form of government, but personal
freedoms remain limited.

The plight of the Bahraini people was dramatically portrayed in the

Arab Spring Timeline

Here are the key events in the Arab Spring, in chronological order:

December 17, 2010: Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire outside a local government
office in an act of protest after being arrested by police for not having a permit to run a
vegetable stall. Street protests begin soon after his death throughout the country.

January 14, 2011: Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali resigns and flees to
Saudi Arabia.

January 25, 2011: The first coordinated mass protests are held in Tahrir Square in
Cairo, Egypt.
February 2011: Protestors in several predominantly Muslim countries stage “Days of
Rage” to oppose authoritarian governments and push for democratic reforms.

February 11, 2011: Egypt’s Mubarak steps down.

March 15, 2011: Pro-democracy protests begin in Syria.

May 22, 2011: Police beat thousands of pro-democracy protesters in Morocco.

July 1, 2011: Moroccan voters approve constitutional changes that limit the power of
the country’s monarchy.

August 20, 2011: Rebels in Libya launch battle to take control of Tripoli.

September 23, 2011: Yemenis hold a “Million Man March,” a large-scale pro-
democracy protest.

October 20, 2011: Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Qaddafi is captured by rebels,
tortured and killed.

October 23, 2011: Tunisia holds first democratic parliamentary elections.

November 23, 2011: Yemen dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh signs a power-sharing
agreement. He resigns altogether in February 2012 and is later killed, in 2017, while the
country is still engulfed in a civil war.

November 28, 2011: Egypt holds first democratic elections for parliament. In June
2012, Morsi is elected president, but is removed from power by coup in July 2013.