The Economic Imperatives of the Arab Spring
While the yearning for dignity, freedom of expression, and real democratic participation was the driving force underlying the Arab revolutions of 2011, economic discontent played a vital role, and economic factors will help to determine how the transition in the Arab world unfolds. Three fundamental and longer-term challenges are worth bearing in mind.
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WASHINGTON, DC/ISTANBUL – Almost a year has passed since revolution in Tunisia and protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square toppled ossified authoritarian regimes and ignited a much wider – and still raging – storm in the Arab world. No one can safely predict where these events will eventually take the Arab people and nations. But one thing is certain: there is no turning back. New social and political movements and structures are emerging, power is shifting, and there is hope that democratic processes will strengthen and spread across the Arab world in 2012.