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Perspectives on the Arab Spring: What It Means and Where It's Headed

The wave of unrest sparked by the Tunisian "Burning Man" has toppled regimes and created momentum for change that may not stop until the geopolitical landscape of the entire region is transformed. With one year in the history books, we turned to a panel of regional experts to gain their perspectives on the larger meaning of the events of the past year.

Tahrir Square
Sparked by protests that occurred in Tunisia on December 18, 2010 following street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation in protest of police corruption, the phenomenon known as the "Arab Spring" has spread across the Middle East. The wave of unrest sparked by the Tunisian "Burning Man" has toppled regimes and created momentum for change that may not stop until the geopolitical landscape of the entire region is transformed. With one year in the history books, we turned to a panel of regional experts to gain their perspectives on the larger meaning of the events of the past year. We also asked them to share their insights on what to expect next. Our panel includes:Wafa Alamm, a Bahraini journalist who just completed a term as Visiting Arab Journalist with the Wilson Center's Middle East Program; Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program and the author of, "My Prison, My Home: One Woman's Story of Captivity in Iran;" Aaron Miller, a Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar who was an Advisor to six Secretaries of State on Arab-Israeli negotiations (1978-2003); Caryle Murphy, Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar and former Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the Washington Post; David Ottaway, a Wilson Center Senior Scholar who served as the Washington Post's Cairo Bureau Chief; and James Zogby, Founder and President of the Arab American Institute and author of the book, "Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us, and Why it Matters."

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Middle East Program

The Wilson Center’s Middle East Program serves as a crucial resource for the policymaking community and beyond, providing analyses and research that helps inform US foreign policymaking, stimulates public debate, and expands knowledge about issues in the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.  Read more