Elements For A Scientific Analysis Of The Arab Revolutions In Spring 2011

These revolts were not masterminded by any opposition force. They were popular uprisings without charismatic leadership, partly enhanced by social network communication, but not a Facebook revolution. Will the changes made by the young generation in the Arab countries inspire other young people without perspectives in Europe and beyond? Developments in Spain and Greece indicate such a development. Will good governance follow decades of authoritarian regimes in the 22 member-states of the Arab League? Or will neo-absolutism in secular or religious form prevail? Any debate in spring 2011 provides us with more questions than clear responses. However, one fact is undeniable: the Arab world has awakened from a long coma-sleep; another century of stagnation seems to be over. Its impact on other regions can be felt. Civil servants in the US-state of Wisconsin who protested in late February against cuts in their payments shouted slogans like “We are all Egyptians”. The Chinese censorship blocks the notion “jasmine”, trying to avert any potential spill-over of the virus of the Jasmine revolution which started in Tunisia on December 17, 2010