The Arab Spring: from hope to despair

17 December 2015

The region still needs to tackle economic and social divides

Philippa Wilkinson

Philippa Wilkinson

The Arab Uprisings have cost the region much more than the $834bn calculated by Dubai’s Arab Strategy Forum.

Libya, Syria and Yemen have disintegrated into civil or regional wars. Other countries which saw Arab protests or even regime change remain under tighter authoritarian rule than ever, such as Egypt and Bahrain.

For Tunisia, pessimism rules the day, five years after protests began in the deprived town of Sidi Bouzid. The economy spent most of 2015 in a recession following two terrorist attacks on tourists and one on the presidential guard. Modest growth is projected next year.

Meanwhile, the leading political party of the ruling coalition is riven by claims that President Beji Caid Essebsi’s son, Hafedh Essebsi, is being groomed for succession.

For the vast majority of people across the region, the people who protested and demanded change, economic, social and political justice is further away than ever.

So where to from here?

The key aims of the 2011 protest movement should not be abandoned. These include creating employment, especially among young people, improving services, fighting corruption and increased democratic participation.

The youth bulge in the region will force governments to address these issues. The continued social and economic exclusion of young people is unsustainable, and delaying solutions risks more unrest, whether violent or non-violent.

The chance for the region to reform is slipping away. Serious action is needed to make Middle East economies grow, and grow inclusively.

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