After more than a decade, it may be time to reflect on and investigate the causes of popular uprisings against these countries’ governments. Analysts believe that these uprisings are the result of a variety of factors. Some have emphasised the role of authoritarian regimes, as well as a lack of political freedoms and sociopolitical generation gaps, in these countries. Others attribute the escalation of political crises in these countries to external factors such as the spread of social media. High rates of unemployment and deprivation have also been mentioned as potential causes of such unrest spreading.

Meanwhile, the increasing economic pressures on the Arab countries of the southern Mediterranean region as a result of the 2008 European economic crisis have had a direct impact on shaping these uprisings. In other words, the international economic crisis, which, according to international financial institutions, was unprecedented and caused the most remarkable economic recession in contemporary history since World War II, has had a direct impact on political crises in countries with close ties to industrialised European countries. The decline in goods and services exports, reduced investments, the decline in the tourism industry, and the recession in most economic sectors of the southern Mediterranean countries with close economic ties to Europe can be cited as the leading causes for the protest and crises in these countries.

But what exactly was the Arab Spring? And how did it come to be? The Arab Spring is the name given to a series of protests, uprisings, and armed conflicts against Arab governments that began in the early 2010s in response to oppressive regime policies and economic and social unrest in these societies. The unrest began in Tunisia and quickly spread to other North African and Middle Eastern countries. In some cases, these uprisings resulted in the overthrow of rulers, while in others, they triggered social protests, violence, coups, and even civil wars. The majority of protesters wanted corrupt and authoritarian political leaders to be removed in order to achieve political freedom, economic prosperity, and social progress.