Sweeping Storm: The Arab Spring and the New Face of the Middle East

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Speaker Profiles

Arab Spring Background

On December 17th, 2010, Tunisian vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, who suffered unjust treatment from municipal officials, set himself on fire in protest against the corrupt government. Furious at the wrongs inflicted on Bouazizi, Tunisian people organized a series of street protests that finally led to the ouster of President Ben Ali.

Following Tunisia’s revolt, protests and demonstrations sprung out across the Middle East, soon to be called “the Arab Spring.” These demonstrations against corrupt governments swept through countries across North Africa and the Middle East like a storm. The tension between the people and their governments on issues of human rights, corruption, democracy, unemployment, inflation and poverty was the trigger of the revolutions. Soon, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was ousted after a 30-year long presidency, and his government overthrown. Libya fell into civil war as Gaddafi’s dictatorship was toppled. Leaders in many other countries in the region announced their resignations in the face of the revolts.

By now, several new governments have been established in these countries while protests and civil wars are continuing in many more. For the United States, which is supporting many of the movements in the Middle East and North Africa, there is an opportunity of forming stronger relationships with many Arab countries, especially those with newly established democratic governments. Developments in the region could permanently alter the landscape of US-Mideast relations.