The Arab Spring (Part 1)
While some would see the Great Recession as the defining start of the decade, others believe it was none other than the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring is a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Islamic world in the early 2010s. It began in response to oppressive regimes and a low
standard of living, starting with protests in
Tunisia, many citing Cablegate as being associated with it. The protests then begin to spread to five other countries:
Libya,
Egypt,
Yemen, and
Bahrain, where either the regime was toppled or major uprisings and social violence occurred, including riots, civil wars or insurgencies.
Sustained street demonstrations took place in
Morocco,
Algeria,
Lebanon,
Jordan,
Kuwait,
Oman, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. Minor protests occurred in
Djibouti,
Mauritania,
Iranian Khuzestan, and the
Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. A major slogan of the demonstrators in the Arab world is
ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ an-niẓām ("the people want to bring down the regime"). Other places meanwhile saw restrictions and curfews placed on them, such as Iraq and Syria. To most of the world, the Arab Spring was quite the shock with some hoping it would be led to the rise of progress in the Middle East. others were more concerned with the rise of potential autocracy and instability within the region. Unsurprisingly, the McCain Administration began having more meetings and discussions on what to do in the matter. Iran was perhaps the most notable example of them being there though thanks to the reformers in charge, changing viewpoints and slight pressure from the neighbors, they were able to pass some reforms to bring the issue to rest and focus on their neighbors.
Tunisia and Algeria would see their governments overthrown. Jordan and Oman made various reforms and changes, overseen by the Arab League in addition to the UN to ensure smooth transitions. Egypt meanwhile would see their government overthrown. The Yemeni Crisis would see American troops intervene regarding the elections along with assistance of neighbors, notably Iran. While it was for peacekeeping, the primary problem was namely the big tent Houthi movement. Negotiations and tensions were all over the place though one memorable moment was McCain's surprisingly sharp-edged "Do you even have a plan if you win? What are your policies and solutions?" comment, evoking former President Gore's speech against Bid Laden nearly a decade prior. The moment would come to be something repated within Arabic news and translated, noting it was a stark reminder on the realities of day-to-day governance. The military expansion through the stimulus pushed by the McCain Administration was considered useful in trying to gain the Yemen Crisis under control.
Sudan and Bahrain would see major protests through it. Other nations like Morocco would see social reforms be put in after the protests. Saudi Arabia meanwhile would see growing protests grow throughout and already the Americans and their allies have been preparing for the worst. Syria and Iraq meanwhile seem to just bubble over, more and more. Protests were getting bigger and no one was sure if civil would break out between the two Baathist nations. However, in the Summer of 2011, the guns of the Baathists came out...
And pointed to each other.
The kettles have burst, the Americans, the Europeans and many Middle-East nations scrambled as the whole thing exploded.
The Iraqi-Syrian War has begun.