Arab Spring
The Arab Spring is hard to classify as just one movement as it occurred in numerous countries and in many different forms. It started in early 2011 with the political uprising in Tunisia. The success of the uprising led to more anti-government protests in other Arab countries. The protesters sought an end to long-standing dictatorships, brutal regimes, unemployment and rising prices.
The problem was that other than dissatisfaction with the current government, many of the protests and uprisings had little plan of what they wanted to do other than change the status quo. Some nations ousted regimes and had elections, such as in Egypt and Tunisia. Others had their existing regimes undergo transformations to suit the demands of the people. For some the power vacuum that was created by the uprisings led to war.
The Arab Spring was characterized by the ability of social media to be used as a method for organization. Protesters were able to use the internet to coordinate gatherings and work against the government. This led to authoritarian leaders attempting to shut down internet access and suppress the protesters with force. In countries where the military assisted the protesters there was greater chance that the movement was successful. In countries like Saudi Arabia, the military worked to suppress the protesters and stopped the movement.
The Arab Winter followed the Arab Spring. This continues to be a period of instability throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Despite the elections in Egypt political turmoil continues. Syria experienced a civil war that continues to this day that had ravaged the country killing and displacing millions. The overall success of the protests of the Arab Spring is still up for debate as few countries that experienced protests and uprising have stability today. What little progress was gained by some countries others experienced only violence and devastation.