The 16 Arab states of the Middle East and
North Africa are a diverse group with widely
varying near-term possibilities for sustaining
pluralist politics. But to one degree or another,
all of them are showing signs of frustration
and exhaustion with the stagnation and injustice
of authoritarian rule. What began with the
self-immolation of a Tunisian
fruit vendor in December 2010
was not an “Arab Spring” but
rather a generational process
of political disruption and
change that will, sooner or
later, though certainly not in
linear fashion, give concrete
form to the increasingly broad aspirations in the
region for political dignity, voice, and accountability.
If one