Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________________ Assignment #_____
Arab Spring
Directions: Read the following packet. When you see blank spaces, fill in the definition for the preceding word.
Then, answer the questions using the packet.
Part I: Introduction
The term "Arab Spring" was coined (__created__) after the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The
idea, promoted by those in favor of the invasion, was that the toppling of Saddam Hussein's (1937–2006)
tyrannical (___________________________) government would lead to a flowering of democracy throughout
the Arab world. While the Iraq War has since been regarded by critics as unnecessary and less successful than
at first hoped, the promised "Arab Spring" did indeed arrive in late 2010. Arab nations throughout North Africa
and the Middle East saw sweeping grassroots (_______________________________) movements to replace
their dictatorial governments with democratic systems. Some of these movements have proven more
successful than others, and the political future of many Arab nations remains uncertain—but the power and
importance of this unprecedented pro-democracy movement is beyond question.
1. When did the term, “Arab Spring” first come about? What does it mean?
2. When did the Arab Spring officially begin?
Part II: Factors that Caused the Arab Spring
Several factors led up to the Arab Spring. These factors include economic conditions, demographic
trends, and the more obvious social and political influences. Few political experts point to the United Statesled occupation of Iraq as a key factor in the spread of democracy throughout the region.
When the global economic crisis struck in late 2008, investors fled the stock market in favor of buying
commodities, including food crops and fuel. This demand led to higher commodity prices. In addition,
problems with oil production and distribution—including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
in April 2010—led to uncertainty that drove fuel and food prices even higher. At the same time, the global
economic downturn battered developing nations across the Arab world with high levels of unemployment.
In addition to being unemployed and hungry, the typical Arab citizen in early 2011 was also relatively
young. A population boom throughout the Arab world in recent years had resulted in a dramatic shift
downward in the average age of citizens in most Arab countries; in Yemen, for example, a majority of the
population was under the age of eighteen. These young Arabs were far more likely to be highly educated and
technologically savvy than members of older generations, though they were also the most likely to be affected
by unemployment.
These factors increased the pressure in countries already suffering from longtime political repression
(_______________________________). Across the Arab world were leaders who had held power for decades
on end, or were members of political parties that ran virtually unopposed and crushed dissent
(___________________________) among citizens. Several Arab nations, including Egypt and Syria, lived under
a constant state of emergency that allowed the government broad powers to restrict personal freedoms.
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Now, fill in the chart below regarding the factors that influenced the beginning of the Arab Spring.
Demographic
(Statistical characteristics of a
population)
Economic
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
Investors bought
commodities like food
crops and fuel, which
increased the prices of
these everyday items
around the world
Social and Political Influences
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

Part III: The Start of the Arab Spring
The pro-democracy movement was sparked by a young Tunisian street vendor named Muhammad
Bouazizi on 17 December 2010. Bouazizi, out of desperation over his harassment by local police, set himself on
fire in front of the municipal building of Sidi Bouzid, the town where he lived. The incident led to protests
among other locals who were suffering under the same difficult conditions. Soon, the protest movement
spread to other cities in Tunisia. Tunisia's leader, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1936–), had led the country
for more than twenty years; he was slow to respond to the demands of protesters, and initially supported the
use of police force to subdue (______________________________) the demonstrators. Instead of squashing
the opposition, the clashes between police and protesters brought an even greater number of Tunisians into
the fray (_____________________________), with most demanding that Ben Ali step down as president.
Lawyers and teachers went on strike to denounce (_____________________________) Ben Ali's use of force
against his own citizens. After Ben Ali lost the support of the nation's military leaders in mid-January, he
resigned as president and fled the country.
3. Summarize how and why the Arab Spring began.
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Part IV: The Arab Spring Spreads
The story of Bouazizi and the success of the Tunisian protests made its way east to Egypt by late
January 2011. Egypt's citizens suffered under even greater restrictions on free speech; since the country
operated under a constant state of emergency—put into place after clashes between Arabs and Israelis in the
late 1960s—Egyptian citizens were not allowed to form public demonstrations or protests, and the
government controlled most media. When demonstrators began organizing through social networking sites
such as Facebook, the Egyptian government pulled the plug on Internet access throughout the nation.
However, their efforts were in vain: the massive size of demonstrations across Egypt dwarfed the Tunisian
protests, with numbers estimated in the millions gathering in and around Tahrir Square in the capital city of
Cairo. Hundreds were killed during clashes between police and demonstrators. Egypt's leader for nearly thirty
years, Hosni Mubarak (1928–), resigned as president on 11 February 2011—less than three weeks after the
protests began.
4. Explain how the government under former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak treated its citizens.
5. Describe how social networking played a role in the protests in Egypt.
Part V: The Arab Spring Spreads to Libya
However, not all attempts to embrace democracy across the Arab world have been as successful as
Tunisia and Egypt. Protests in the North African nation of Libya began shortly after the end of the Mubarak
regime in mid-February 2011. Libya's leader, Muammar Gaddafi (1942–2011), viewed the protests as a direct
threat to his forty-two-year rule and responded with violent military force. Soon the country was divided, with
rebels controlling the eastern half and pro-government forces maintaining control over most of western Libya.
While some military forces chose to side with the demonstrators, Gaddafi kept at his side an elite collection of
soldiers led by his sons. These soldiers had access to advanced weapons and equipment that Gaddafi had
purchased over the course of decades using government money.
In March 2011, the United Nations (UN) Security Council agreed to declare a no-fly zone over Libya in an
attempt to ground Gaddafi's air attacks on his own citizens. Fighters from France and the United States
bombed government military targets, and naval vessels off the coast of Libya launched missiles at strategic
government locations. After months of fighting, rebel forces, supported by Western powers, succeeded in
securing control of Libya. On 20 October, rebels found and killed Gaddafi in the city of Sirte.
6. Explain how Muammar Gaddafi dealt with the protests in Libya that began in February of 2011.
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7. Describe the different ways in which countries such as France and the United States helped the rebels
against Gaddafi.
Part VI: America’s Response to the Arab Spring
On 19 May, U.S. president Barack Obama (1961–) delivered a speech outlining U.S. policy in the Middle
East and North Africa in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Obama pledged economic support to any country
showing true commitment to democratic reform; called on leaders in Yemen and Syria, where protests are
ongoing, to cease all violence against protesters and back democratic reform; and, most controversially, stated
bluntly that a two-state solution to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian dispute was the only solution supported by
the United States.
Just a week after Obama's speech, escalating fighting in Yemen led the U.S. to order the departure of all
non-essential diplomats and family members of embassy workers from Yemen. Seventy-two people died in
three days of clashes between government forces and protesters in the days leading up to the order. In a
statement to reporters in Paris, Secretary Clinton expressed exasperation, saying, "We continue to support the
departure of President Saleh, who has consistently agreed that he would be stepping down from power and
then consistently reneged (__________________________) on those agreements." Yemen seemed on the
brink of civil war by early June.
8. Detail three aspects of President Obama’s policy on the Arab Spring in the Middle East.
Part VII: The Arab Spring in Yemen and Syria
Yemen's President Saleh returned to his country from Saudi Arabia in September, more than three
months after being gravely injured in a rocket attack on his compound. Yemen slipped into chaos in his
absence; both the United States and Saudi Arabia reportedly have urged Saleh to step down and cede
(________________________________) power to his vice president. Saleh has refused. Observers fear a
violent crackdown will follow Saleh's return.
The death toll resulting from Syria's unrest continued to mount in October. On 6 October, the UN
estimated that 2,900 people had died since March 2011, when anti-government protests erupted. The UN
Security Council debated a resolution that would have authorized "targeted measures" against Syria, but
Russia and China vetoed the resolution on 5 October.
As the UN-calculated death toll in the Syrian unrest topped 3,000 in mid–October, the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC), a union of Arab states along the Persian Gulf, called for immediate steps to "halt
the machine of violence" in Syria. A delegation representing the Arab League met with President Assad on 26
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October to begin talks on ending the crisis. Assad agreed to a peace deal, but immediately broke his word,
ordering military attacks on protesters in the city of Homs.
Violence in Yemen escalated in November 2011 as a UN envoy arrived to survey the area and press
President Saleh to step down. Saleh had agreed to a deal advanced by Gulf Arab nations under which he
would relinquish office in exchange for immunity from prosecutions; however, he has yet to follow through on
his agreement.
Part VIII: Create an Arab Spring Timeline
Directions: Now, create a timeline of events from the Arab Spring, including:
December 17, 2010; February 11, 2011; March 2011 (in Libya); May 19, 2011; Week of May 26th, 2011
(Yemen); September 2011 (Yemen); October 6, 2011; October 20, 2011; November 2011 (Yemen)
Arab Spring Timeline
Directions: Please fill in the following timeline with the dates given to you above. Don’t forget to include the names of
the countries, who was involved, and what happened.
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Part IX: Label the Map
Directions: Now, put numbers on the countries for the order in which the Arab Spring started. Then, label the
5 Regions (of Geography) for the Middle East.
Part X: Questions you have
List any questions you still have below!
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Source Citation
"Arab Spring." Global Issues in Context Online Collection.6Detroit: Gale, 2011. Global Issues In Context. Web. 22 Nov.
2011.