Pro-democracy protests across the Middle East and North Africa have exploded the myth of Arab ‘exceptionalism’

Abstract

Following the sudden overthrow of President Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia, a remarkable chain of events has rocked the Middle East and North Africa. Mass demonstrations in Egypt, Yemen and Jordan feel like the start of a profound shift in the regional political status quo writes Alex Glennie, although it remains to be seen whether they will turn into sustained movements for change. But at the very least, this series of uprisings have challenged many of the truisms about the prospects for democracy in the Arab world, and should prompt British and other western policymakers to rethink their approach to supporting political reformers in these countries