A Middle East Institute Viewpoint featuring articles by
Stephen Zunes, Charles Schmitz, Radwan Ziadeh, Basem Fathy, and 5 other leading
experts
On February 11, 2011, Husni Mubarak resigned as President of
Egypt after nearly 30 years in power, echoing the end of Tunisian President
Zine El-‘Abidine Ben ‘Ali’s 23-year rule on January 15, 2011. Armed conflict
rages in Libya while Syrian military units put down protests in Homs, Hama, and
Dayr al-Zor. Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, and other Arab countries have also seen
protests of varying intensity. These events came as a shock to many researchers
and practitioners studying the region. While scholars of the Middle East can
only speculate which autocratic ruler will be the next to fall, the Middle East
Institute opens its series on Revolution and Political Transformation by
reexamining and placing into context the events of the Arab Spring.
The first volume of this series, "Agents of Change,"
focuses on the groups and individuals who have led the popular uprisings
throughout the region. Nine scholars, journalists, and activists remind us of
the history behind these movements, demonstrate the effectiveness and
importance of nonviolent struggle, explore the use of social media and other
tools of mobilization, and investigate the characteristics and motivations of
the players in the activist and rebel movements in Egypt, Libya, Syria,
Tunisia, and Yemen.
We timed this volume’s release to coincide with the
six-month anniversary of the resignation of Mubarak. This milestone reflects in
many ways an incomplete transition and, with the Supreme Council of the Armed
Forces still ruling in a similar to fashion to Mubarak before them, a project
that remains to be finished. The pieces enclosed herein are not intended to be
a complete analysis, but rather a variety of viewpoints and voices looking back
with the benefit of some small amount of hindsight to see what lessons can be
learned. Future volumes will deal with government actions and responses to the
Arab Spring and seek to discern outcomes and prospects for future change. We
hope that you will stay tuned for future volumes in this series, and future
publications by the Middle East Institute.