The Arab Spring and the Emergence of the Syrian Crisis

Abstract

The longstanding problems in the Arab countries that have suffered from the repercussions of authoritarian rule culminated in popular protests. The process of protests and riots that started in December 2010 when a street vendor set himself on fire in Tunisia led to the overthrown of totalitarian and authoritarian rules in some of the countries in the region. Although the so-called Arab Spring process is no longer very popular, the repercussions are still being debated among scholars and analysts. A number of people died during the protests and subsequent conflicts in Syria, Libya and Egypt. The popular protests resulted in changes in office in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya whereas in Syria the regime remained in power despite strong popular uprising and ongoing civil war. This part of the research focuses on the root causes and consequences of the Arab Spring that affected Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria.