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Revolution and Counterrevolution: The Arab Spring Ten Years On

With Hossam el-Hamalawy, Egyptian journalist and activist

It’s been nearly ten years since protests in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, sparked by the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in response to ongoing economic hardship and police harassment, kicked off what came to be known as the Arab Spring. Masses of people from Morocco to Bahrain and every Arab country in between took to the streets for freedom, democracy, and a better life for all. In some places it led to the fall of dictators and free elections—in others, like Syria, it brought horrific bloodshed and destruction that will take generations to heal.

What did the Arab Spring achieve, and what stopped it from continuing its hopeful advance? We’ll be joined by Egyptian journalist Hossam el-Hamalawy, himself an active participant in the uprisings, to learn more about this momentous chapter in recent history and ask what, if anything, is left of its emancipatory promise.