Arab Spring News & Analysis

From the Arab Spring to the Winter of Authoritarianism

President of the United States Donald Trump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa during Donald Trump's state visit to Saudi Arabia., cc White House, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Donald_Trump_with_Saudi_Crown_Prince_Mohammed_Bin_Salman_and_President_of_Syria_Ahmed_al-Sharaa_%282025%29.jpg

Trump has pivoted from democracy to the ‘Arab way’ in the Middle East. This doesn’t just risk US moral credibility; it also sets the stage for the next wave of regional stability, with consequences that will reverberate for decades.

Backgrounder: 2021 Tunisia Political Crisis

The palace view as Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper meets with Tunisian President Kais Saied, at Carthage Palace, Tunisia, Sept. 30, 2020. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando), cc U.S. Secretary of Defense, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:200930-D-BN624-2191_(50402134718).jpg

Examining the background and consequences of the sudden removal of Tunisia’s prime minister.

It Will Take More than Billionaires to Bail Out Egypt’s Economy

cc Flickr Mark Fischer, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The COVID-19 crisis should prompt a rethink on Egypt’s longstanding structural inequalities.

Sudan: The MENA Region’s Next Proxy Conflict?

Sudan protests 2019, CC M. Saleh, modified, Wikicommons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&title=Special:Search&redirs=0&search=khartoum+protests&fulltext=Search&fulltext=Advanced+search&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns14=1&advanced=1&searchToken=1a26j4o5p9lklfiy2kh8biz98#%2Fmedia%2FFile%3ASudanese_protestors_chanting.jpg

The political dispute in Sudan is fertile ground for wider geopolitical machinations between the Saudi-UAE and Turkey-Qatar blocs. Is Sudan doomed to become the next Syria?

Sudan-South Sudan Relations and the Fall of Al-Bashir

alBashir, cc Kremlin.ru, http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56163, modified,

The fall of al-Bashir will resonate not just in Sudan, but South Sudan as well.

Arab Spring Redux? Sudan Protests Enter New Phase

SudanProtests, cc Wiki Commons, M. Saleh, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:2019_Sudanese_protests#/media/File:Sudanese_protestors_greeting_sudanese_army.jpg

The parallels to the early days of the Arab Spring are obvious. But what will the second phase of Sudan’s revolution look like – Tunisia, Egypt, or Syria?

2019 Algeria Protests: Putting ‘Pouvoir’ on Notice?

Bouteflika, cc Flickr thierry ehrmann, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The Arab Spring may be making a late arrival in Algeria, with possible consequences for regional geopolitics and global energy markets.

At Chatham House, Reading Tea Leaves for the Next Arab Spring

Bahrain Arab Spring, cc Lewa'a Alnasr, modified, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring#/media/File:Hundreds_of_thousands_of_Bahrainis_taking_part_in_march_of_loyalty_to_martyrs.jpg

Without real change, the Arab Spring is destined to repeat itself.

Between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE: Tunisia’s Quest for Neutrality

banner-brick-bricks-534960, public domain, https://www.pexels.com/photo/banner-brick-bricks-country-534960/, modified

Tunisia is attempting to maintain its foreign policy independence while navigating its triangular relationship with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. It’s no easy task.

Egypt: Going through the Motions of Democracy

cc Flickr James N. Mattis, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Egyptian voters are heading to the polls. Their choice: President al-Sisi or President al-Sisi.

Protests Erupt in Cities across Tunisia

An anti-terrorism protest in Tunisia in July 2014, cc Flickr Magharebia, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Just days from the anniversary of former president Zine El Abadine Ben Ali stepping down, protesters are flooding the streets in the cradle of the Arab Spring.

Backgrounder: 2017 Qatar Crisis

cc Flickr Šarūnas Burdulis, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The Saudi and Egypt-led blockade of Qatar has been a long time coming.

Saudi Arabia: Turning Vision 2030 into Reality

Riyadh Skyline abstraction, Generated by Google Gemini AI on August 14, 2025. All flags, maps, and likenesses contained within this image are not necessarily accurate representations of reality.

Will Saudi Arabia lose its nerve on economic reform now that oil prices have partially recovered?

Yemen Teeters on Brink of Humanitarian Disaster in 2017

Yemen civil war / cc fahd sadi, picture from 2016; Aerial bombardments on Sana'a, Yemen from Saudi Arabia without the right aircraft. injustice / https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_bombardments_on_Sana%27a,_Yemen_from_Saudi_Arabia_without_the_right_aircraft._injustice_-_panoramio.jpg

Civil war and a Saudi-led naval blockade have Yemen teetering on the brink of a humanitarian disaster.

Egypt’s Economy Turning the Corner in 2017?

Egypt President al-Sisi in 2016, modified, cc kremlin.ru, http://www.en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/52832/photos/45456

In accepting IMF funding, President el-Sisi is walking a tightrope between economic reform and popular upheaval.

Trump’s Immigration Ban a Siren Call for Islamic State

TrumpCPAC, cc Flickr Michael Vadon, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

President Trump’s travel ban is a propaganda windfall for Islamic State and other jihadist groups.

Tunisia Economic and Security Challenges Mount

cc Flickr US Africa Command, modified, https://flickr.com/photos/africom/49897115541/in/photolist-2j2eL4x-xVXuK4-otFq5y-x2dk9A-owt2yy-6e8fwG-xeaNyd-ow9kGK-otSqz5-ow6T4i-xFQjvf-oeTq3G-xrxhFW-wbbG88-tBxyAe-xVXTmX-ouwFXf-oePMjN-ovFU5N-otPvh1-owctaW-rq6WYV-xWC3Tx-rnvkzd-buH2iK-oxwkun-qt1Zet-ownFgn-sFVELc-xi98gx-rrz5fD-oeybTJ-oucoxq-ra8fBC-r5ZDzP-rqyqCv-ouhDxa-r7XBnA-rouPvQ-8LmEPn-rnypwA-xgx5oS-x4bqeb-qBcwpr-r8kp7i-rqyqpV-tB7pp3-bramtk-oy2zAa-rqQMyR

Tunisia is the one success story of the Arab Spring, but it might not remain that way forever.

Tunisia: A Water Conflict in the Making?

Tunisia water abstraction, Generated by Google Gemini AI on August 10, 2025. All flags, maps, and likenesses contained within this image are not necessarily accurate representations of reality.

Drought conditions are driving water conflicts throughout Tunisia, further destabilizing the fragile outpost of democracy in the MENA region.

Tourism: Forgotten Victim of the Arab Winter

Generated by Google Gemini AI on August 10, 2025. All flags, maps, and likenesses contained within this image are not necessarily accurate representations of reality.

With tourist streams to Tunisia drying up, Saudi Arabia is hoping to establish itself as a tourism destination in the Middle East.

Tracing Sudan’s Geopolitical History in the MENA

Generated by Google Gemini on July 25, 2025.

Part one of a two-part series, this article explores Sudan’s history in the MENA as well as the possibility of Shiite-Sunni geopolitical cooperation.

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