In 2010, the death of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia sparked a regional movement for socio-political and economic change that is now known as the Arab Spring. The uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, and Yemen, demanded fundamental change but only Yemen and Tunisia managed to topple their longstanding authoritarian leaders. The Arab Spring was a pivotal turning point for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), but many nations struggled to rebuild themselves in the aftermath and establish democratic and equitable institutions. The socioeconomic conditions also worsened for many residents. According to a Guardian-YouGov poll, a majority in nine countries around the Arab world believed their societies have become significantly more unequal since the Arab Spring. Indeed, this is evident in most MENA countries today with civil wars, economic downturn, political instability, and international conflict continuing to plague the region. This raises the question of whether the Arab Spring benefited or derailed the region overall.
In Syria, the Arab Spring erupted when 15 children were arrested and tortured by intelligence officers for writing anti-Assad and pro-Arab Spring messages on a wall. One of these children, a 13-year-old boy, was tortured and succumbed to his wounds. Syrians took to the streets protesting against President Bashar al-Assad and his reign, but unlike Tunisia’s success, Assad remains the county’s leader and attempts to topple the dictator fails. According to the Guardian-YouGov poll, 75% of Syrians believe the quality of life has deteriorated since the Arab Spring. These issues have been exacerbated by the Syrian civil war and the COVID-19 pandemic, which have pushed countless Syrians into poverty and brought the country to the brink of economic and political collapse. Today, 11.5% of the Syrian population has been killed or injured since March 2011, over 12 million people (more than half of the population) have been internally or externally displaced, and almost 100,000 Syrians have disappeared. While the Arab Spring swept through the country intending to bring about positive change, for Syria, it has amplified violence and suffering.
Similarly, in Yemen, the Arab Spring generated questionable results. After years of protests, the movement succeeded in toppling Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime, and Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Saudi-backed ruler, came to power. This power transition placed Yemen at the focal point of ongoing geopolitical tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, sparking a war between the new administration and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. At the time, Yemen was already one of the poorest countries in the region and the Arab Spring and subsequent war deepened poverty in the country. Today, Yemen is home to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 24 million people, or 80% of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance.
Iraq is an interesting comparative case study. The Arab Spring uprisings spread across the country and yielded a civil war which, along with the Islamic State insurgence, have left the country in a state of vulnerability. As a result of the country’s fragile state, Iran strengthened its grip on the nation, embedding itself in its domestic affairs. In addition, instability, poverty, and conflict are on the rise in the country. In 2019, the country’s unemployment rate was 12.82%, a dramatic increase from 8.16% in 2011 when the Arab Spring first began. Despite the damage the Arab Spring has done to Iraq’s social, political, and economic ecosystems, over half of the Iraqi population have stated that they do not regret the Arab Spring. Many Iraqis have used the spirit of the movement to fuel current anti-government protests. It appears that Iraq could be reinvigorating the Arab Spring to bring about change.
While Tunisia is considered a success story on the international stage, the people were able to bring about institutional change and established democratic institutions. The protest movements resulted in the fall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s regime. Today, not all Tunisians view the movement positively, and the average Tunisian still has to contend with inequality, unemployment, and corruption. However, in comparison to countries such as Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, Tunisia is the only real positive result of the Arab Spring.
One decade after the Arab Spring swept across the Middle East and North Africa, residents of the region are still struggling to obtain their rights and enjoy the economic prosperity and democracy they rallied for years ago. In Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, the Arab Spring created a political vacuum that exacerbated inequality, violence, and conflict rather than cured them. As a result, a large portion of the region no longer views the movement as a symbol of freedom and democracy—instead, they view the uprisings as having the opposite effect as they continue to live under similar conditions.
