Civil Resistance in the Arab Spring Triumphs and Disasters

This is a lively and scholarly illustrated account of the tumultuous events in key countries in the Middle East and North Africa during and since the period of the Arab Spring that began in December 2010. It addresses two key questions. How could non-violent forms of resistance develop so fast, and help to overthrow so many long-established regimes, in societies with a troubled history of violence and authoritarianism? And why was the initial success of some ofthese revolutions followed by such serious setbacks: the military intervention in Bahrain, the wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen, and the reversion to authoritarian rule in Egypt? Written and edited byexperts in these countries and in the phenomenon of civil resistance, this book draws some tough conclusions from the triumphs and the disasters of one of the most important political developments of our time.