Seven years after the outbreak of the Arab Spring in North Africa, demonstrators are taking to the streets again. In Tunisia, protesters demand change to new austerity laws, which compound already stagnant economic conditions and youth unemployment. Protests have also occurred in the small town of Jerada in Morocco following the deaths of two young miners. Both of these movements reflect ongoing socio-economic inequalities and were met with governmental crackdown.
How do these protests compare with each other, and to previous waves of uprisings across the Arab World since 2011? How are these activists starting new conversations around social, economic, and political issues in their countries?
The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host a panel discussion examining the social and economic drivers behind these demonstrations, as well as prospects for resolving these inequities. MEI's senior vice president for policy research and programs, Paul Salem, will moderate a discussion with Aymen Abderahmen (Barr al Aman), Intissar Fakir (CEIP), Dokhi Fassihian (Freedom House), and William Lawrence (GWU) to discuss these issues.