The Arab Spring

{
  "authors": [
    "Marina Ottaway"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Arab Awakening"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "North Africa",
    "Egypt",
    "Libya",
    "Tunisia",
    "Syria",
    "Gulf",
    "Levant",
    "Maghreb"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform"
  ]
}

In The Media

The Arab Spring

Three months into the Arab Spring and after the fall of the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt, protests continue across the Middle East and North Africa and the region remains in a state of flux.

By Marina Ottaway

Published on Apr 27, 2011

Source: Economist

Three months into the Arab Spring and following the fall of Tunisia and Egypt's presidents, protests are continuing throughout the region. “The region remains in a state of flux,” stated Carnegie's Marina Ottaway on the Economist. In Libya, NATO forces have intervened in the bitter civil war between rebels and Qaddafi’s forces. In Syria, the regime has violently repressed protesters and even resorted to mass arrests. Moreover, suggested Ottaway “questions remain as to whether or not this unrest will spread to the Gulf countries.” Even in Tunisia and Egypt, the countries furthest along in their attempts to install new more representative and responsive governments, the outcome remains unclear. In both countries, many remnants of the old regime remain in place. Ultimately, Ottaway concluded, three months into the Arab Spring there are still more questions than answers.

About the Author

Marina Ottaway

Former Senior Associate, Middle East Program

Before joining the Endowment, Ottaway carried out research in Africa and in the Middle East for many years and taught at the University of Addis Ababa, the University of Zambia, the American University in Cairo, and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Recent Work

Article
Reactions to the Syrian National Initiative
- Marina Ottaway, Omar Hossino
Article
Slow Return to Normal Politics in Egypt
- Marina Ottaway

Political Reform Middle East North Africa Egypt Libya Tunisia Syria Gulf Levant Maghreb

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Multiple Wars Are Ruining Central Asia’s Efforts to Diversify Its Trade Routes
This year’s wars have made alternative routes to transit through Russia no less risky for Central Asian countries.
Galiya Ibragimova
Paper
Loyal but Powerless: The Downgrading of Russia’s Elite
The ruling elites in contemporary Russia are not a political class, but a community of managers who are not subject to competition or public accountability. The state is becoming an operating apparatus without any internal autonomy.
Alexandra Prokopenko
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
What Does Pashinyan’s Parliamentary Victory Mean for Armenia’s Future?
Pashinyan’s pro-European party has been re-elected with a decisive victory. But the pro-Russian opposition could still slow Armenia’s progress toward peace with Azerbaijan and rapprochement with Europe.
Mikayel Zolyan
Book
From Sovereigns to Servants. How the War Against Ukraine Reshaped Russia’s Elite
How did Putin co-opt Russia’s political and economic elites, ensuring no more than fitful resistance to the regime’s war on Ukraine?
Alexandra Prokopenko
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Will Russia–Armenia Relations Improve Following Pashinyan’s Re-Election?
For all the menacing rhetoric, the Armenian prime minister remains a leader with whom Putin is prepared to interact: not as an ally, but as a partner, albeit a problematic one.
Alexander Atasuntsev

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Multiple Wars Are Ruining Central Asia’s Efforts to Diversify Its Trade Routes

This year’s wars have made alternative routes to transit through Russia no less risky for Central Asian countries.

Galiya Ibragimova

Paper

Loyal but Powerless: The Downgrading of Russia’s Elite

The ruling elites in contemporary Russia are not a political class, but a community of managers who are not subject to competition or public accountability. The state is becoming an operating apparatus without any internal autonomy.

Alexandra Prokopenko

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

What Does Pashinyan’s Parliamentary Victory Mean for Armenia’s Future?

Pashinyan’s pro-European party has been re-elected with a decisive victory. But the pro-Russian opposition could still slow Armenia’s progress toward peace with Azerbaijan and rapprochement with Europe.

Mikayel Zolyan

Book

From Sovereigns to Servants. How the War Against Ukraine Reshaped Russia’s Elite

How did Putin co-opt Russia’s political and economic elites, ensuring no more than fitful resistance to the regime’s war on Ukraine?

Alexandra Prokopenko

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Will Russia–Armenia Relations Improve Following Pashinyan’s Re-Election?

For all the menacing rhetoric, the Armenian prime minister remains a leader with whom Putin is prepared to interact: not as an ally, but as a partner, albeit a problematic one.

Alexander Atasuntsev