POLITICAL TURMOIL IN THE MIDDLE EAST: AN OVERVIEW

This article provides an overview of the unprecedented wave of political turmoil that swept across the Middle East in 2011, a phenomenon that came to be known as the "Arab Spring." It traces the origins of the uprisings, from the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia to the mass protests in Egypt's Tahrir Square and the subsequent spread of popular revolts across the region. The study analyzes the common underlying causes of the turmoil, including decades of authoritarian rule, widespread corruption, high youth unemployment, and rising food prices. The research also explores the crucial role of new social media in facilitating the mobilization of protesters. The paper provides a country-by-country overview of the key developments, from the successful ousting of long-standing dictators in Tunisia and Egypt to the descent into brutal civil war in Libya and Syria. The analysis concludes that the Arab Spring represented a historic and transformative moment, a profound political awakening that shattered the long-standing myth of Arab exceptionalism to democracy.

The year 2011 witnessed a political earthquake in the Middle East, as a wave of popular uprisings challenged and, in some cases, overthrew some of the world's most entrenched authoritarian regimes. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of this "Arab Spring." The study begins by analyzing the deep-seated structural grievances that provided the fertile ground for these revolts. It argues that a "youth bulge," combined with high rates of unemployment and a sense of political and economic hopelessness, had created a demographic time bomb. The paper also highlights the role of decades of political repression and corruption in creating a profound crisis of legitimacy for the ruling regimes. The core of the article is a narrative analysis of the unfolding of the uprisings. It charts the rapid domino effect, as the successful revolution in Tunisia inspired similar movements across the Arab world. The paper gives special attention to the case of Egypt, where a massive, non-violent, 18-day protest movement succeeded in toppling the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak. The study also provides a contrasting analysis of the cases of Libya and Syria, where the state's brutal response to peaceful protests led to the outbreak of devastating civil wars. The findings reveal a complex and diverse set of outcomes, ranging from relatively peaceful democratic transitions to catastrophic state collapse. The paper concludes that while the long-term consequences remained uncertain, the Arab Spring had irrevocably changed the political landscape of the Middle East, ushering in a new and often-turbulent era of popular political engagement.