Your single initial post this week (due NLT 11:59 p.m. on Thursday) must address the assigned questions/topics with a thoughtfully-constructed response (minimum 250 words). Each initial post should be cogently argued and supported by a minimum of two credible source citations from assigned or supplemental reading (ideally, with 50% or more citations from additional research via peer-reviewed journal articles or credible book chapters) and incorporating proper Chicago Manual of Style footnotes or endnotes with a full source entry, at bottom.
No follow-up reply posts are required this week. Dedicate your remaining time to preparing for and completing the course final exam, due NLT 11:59 p.m. (eastern time) this Sunday!
1. Between 2010 and 2014, the Middle East / North Africa region witnessed sweeping political upheavals, especially in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. During the same period, popular protests increased in Algeria, Jordan, Bahrain, Turkey, Iran and Yemen. Initial hopes of Western intellectuals for this “Arab Spring” were that authoritarian powers would fall to popular (representative) movements. However, during 2012 and 2013, initial gains of Islamists in Tunisia and Egypt were challenged or reversed by economic/political instability or military interventionism. Today, the civil war in Syria rages on, and Libya remains at risk of fracturing, as well. Based on what we know about these political upheavals, to date, discuss your perception of these events and describe (supported by news reports and/or scholarly sources) what inspired these events and what KEY changes have transpired in the past four years’ Arab Spring events? As of today, attempt to characterize a “legacy” that you would attribute to the Arab Spring? Justify your characterization(s).
