Advertisement

Arab Spring

The Arab Spring was a series of protests directed against various authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, starting at the end of 2010.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

Protesters waving flags and banners

Protesters waving flags and banners

Syrian protesters rise up against Islamists in Idlib

Opponents of Assad seeking refuge in Idlib are now protesting against local Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

A Tunisian protester lifts a placard demanding to know who assassinated prominent leftist opposition leader Chokri Belaid

A Tunisian protester lifts a placard demanding to know who assassinated prominent leftist opposition leader Chokri Belaid

Tunisia sentences 4 to death over politician's assassination

Chokri Belaid's death in 2013 sparked mass protests against Tunisia's then-ruling Islamists.

Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi

Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi

Tunisia: Police raid opposition party office, arrest leader

Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Ennahda party, has been arrested, the latest in series of opposition figures held.

Tunesien I Protest gegen Kais Saed in Tunis

Tunesien I Protest gegen Kais Saed in Tunis

Tunisia: Opposition rallies mark 12-year protest anniversary

Protesters from opposition groups called on the president to step down, amid the country's worsening economy.

A person sticks their finger in a pot of blue/purple dye, marking their index finger after voting

A person sticks their finger in a pot of blue/purple dye, marking their index finger after voting

Tunisia's election labeled a sham by observers

Just 9% of voters turned out to elect a new parliament, and observers doubt anything will change.

Tunisians cast their votes at a polling station in Tunis for the parliamentary elections in Tunisia on December 17, 2022

Tunisians cast their votes at a polling station in Tunis for the parliamentary elections in Tunisia on December 17, 2022

Tunisia: Less than 10% vote to elect new parliament

Just 9% of voters turned out to pick a new parliament. Most political parties boycotted the vote, labeling it a charade.

Thousands of anti-Syrian government protesters shout slogans and wave revolutionary flags

Thousands of anti-Syrian government protesters shout slogans and wave revolutionary flags

Is it time to lift sanctions on Syria?

A UN expert has called for sanctions against Syria to be lifted. Syrian activists say she's not telling the whole story.

Families of Syrian detainees carrying photos of their detained the missing loved ones, as they demanding their freedom and the revealing of their fate and whereabouts during a sit-in in Berlin, Germany

Families of Syrian detainees carrying photos of their detained the missing loved ones, as they demanding their freedom and the revealing of their fate and whereabouts during a sit-in in Berlin, Germany

Syria: How the UN plans to find over 100,000 missing people

Can a new UN organization help tens of thousands of Syrian families reunite with relatves that are missing?

Egyptian artist Mohammed Abla

Egyptian artist Mohammed Abla

Finding inspiration out on the streets

Dreams, revolution and failure: artist Mohamed Abla has his finger on the pulse of Cairo.

Sanaa Seif, the sister of Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, .

Sanaa Seif, the sister of Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, .

Egyptian activist 'disappointed' with German politics

The sister of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, Egypt's best-known political prisoner, speaks to DW about her brother's hunger strike.

Protesters in Tunisia gathering against referendum

Protesters in Tunisia gathering against referendum

Tunisia: Hundreds protest draft constitution ahead of vote

Tunisia will vote on the proposed constitution in a referendum on Monday.

Tunisian President Kais Saied.

Tunisian President Kais Saied.

Tunisia constitution vote a democratic threat?

Tunisians are set to vote on a new constitution, which critics fear President Kais Saied will use to stay in power.

Tunisians at a demonstration waving a bill

Tunisians at a demonstration waving a bill

Tunisia: President's power grab undermines democracy

Tunisia’s president continues his autocratic overhaul. Could international aid return the country to a democratic track?

A group of people gather outside Municipal Theater to protest Tunisian President Kais Saied in Tunis

A group of people gather outside Municipal Theater to protest Tunisian President Kais Saied in Tunis

Tunisians unite for democracy ⁠— is it enough?

A national opposition has united against President Kais Saied. But could the pursuit of democracy backfire?

Demonstrators carry flags and banners during a protest against the Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers, in Tunis.

Demonstrators carry flags and banners during a protest against the Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers, in Tunis.

Who will save Tunisia's democracy now?

Tunisia's president is carrying out a creeping coup, abolishing democratic institutions bit by bit. Can he be stopped?

Bakery in Cairo, with a young boy piling up flat bread

Bakery in Cairo, with a young boy piling up flat bread

Egypt fears for food supply as wheat prices rise

Egypt is pushing for reforms, but the future will depend on true changes to secure food and prevent another uprising.

An Egyptian boy holding bread and flashing the victory sign shouts slogans at Cairo's Tahrir Square.

An Egyptian boy holding bread and flashing the victory sign shouts slogans at Cairo's Tahrir Square.

A new Arab Spring, thanks to Ukraine war?

Bread prices are rising in the Middle East, due to war in wheat-exporting Ukraine. This led to political unrest before.

Protesters hold the Tunisian flag as they stand in front of security forces

Protesters hold the Tunisian flag as they stand in front of security forces

Tunisia: Protesters mark 2011 uprising despite ban

Police fired tear gas and water cannons as demonstrators defied coronavirus restrictions and took to the streets.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at a press conference in November 2020

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at a press conference in November 2020

Egypt's el-Sissi ends state of emergency

The measure, long slammed by rights groups as a means to crush dissent, was imposed in 2017 to "fight terrorism."

Several people, a house and trees in the background, someone holds up a burning picture of Gadhafi

Several people, a house and trees in the background, someone holds up a burning picture of Gadhafi

Libya's unstable decade after Moammar Gadhafi's death

Libya has not managed to emerge from the conflict that preceded the dictator's killing on October 20, 2011.

Members of Tunisia's new government stand on the steps of a government building

Members of Tunisia's new government stand on the steps of a government building

Tunisia's president appoints new government amid coup fears

After assuming new executive powers, President Kais Saied has sworn in a record number of women to his new government.

A portrait of Egyptian author Nadia Wassef

A portrait of Egyptian author Nadia Wassef

Nadia Wassef's homage to bookshops

In a conversation with DW, Egyptian author Nadia Wassef speaks about her chain of bookshops in her home country.

Demonstrators set fire to a poster of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, copies of his Green Book and Libyan flags.

Demonstrators set fire to a poster of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, copies of his Green Book and Libyan flags.

A comeback for Moammar Gadhafi's family in Libya?

The children of the brutal and erratic former dictator are getting more popular as national elections approach.

Tunisian President Kais Saied speaks to members of the army and police

Tunisian President Kais Saied speaks to members of the army and police

Tunisia's president promises constitutional changes

President Kais Saied has vowed a new government and said the "Tunisian people have rejected the consitution."

Security forces arrest a teacher as they disperse a protest demanding permanent employment, in Rabat, Morocco

Security forces arrest a teacher as they disperse a protest demanding permanent employment, in Rabat, Morocco

Is Morocco's 'Arab Spring' moment finally here?

After a fiery suicide, Moroccans protested against their government. Could the case motivate a nationwide movement?

Tunisian military forces guard the area around the parliament building in the capital Tunis

Tunisian military forces guard the area around the parliament building in the capital Tunis

Tunisia: US urges return to 'democratic path'

A top US official spoke to Tunisia's president Kais Saied days after his shock power grab.

Sollich Rainer Kommentarbild App

Sollich Rainer Kommentarbild App

Tunisia's democracy in danger

Rainer Sollich

Tunisia is on edge. The Arab Spring's sole success story may be on the verge of failure in the place where it all began.

Jordanian riot police and security forces scuffle with protesters attempting to breach the police lines.

Jordanian riot police and security forces scuffle with protesters attempting to breach the police lines.

How stable is Jordan really?

Jordan's allies are concerned, and experts say the royal family's public spat is just a big example of the problems.

Libyans hold up signs with messages to NATO written on them

Libyans hold up signs with messages to NATO written on them

Ten years after NATO intervention, Libya remains unstable

Ten years after NATO's intervention, hopes of democracy and stability in Libya have yet to be fulfilled.

A group of protesters holding a Syrian flag in front of the Reichstag in Berlin

A group of protesters holding a Syrian flag in front of the Reichstag in Berlin

Germany's ongoing identity crisis on Syria

As the anniversary of the Syrian revolution nears, Germany's relationship with that nation remains complex.

Syrien | Kefah Ali Deeb, artist and author from Syria

Syrien | Kefah Ali Deeb, artist and author from Syria

Syrian artist Kefah Ali Deeb: Mediating between culture

In Berlin, Kefah Ali Deeb brings refugees and locals peacefully together.

Anti-government protesters in Yemen in July 2011

Anti-government protesters in Yemen in July 2011

New hopes sprout in Yemen 10 years after its uprising

Yemen's Arab Spring uprising led to a raging civil war. Will the US's halt on arms sales and new envoy help bring peace?

A man looking at his phone walks past a street art mural connected to the 2011 uprising

A man looking at his phone walks past a street art mural connected to the 2011 uprising

World in Progress: Ten years after the uprising in Egypt

In 2011, Egyptians toppled the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Today, the country is a repressive police state – yet again.

Protesters in Cairo waving flags on Cairo's Tahrir Square

Protesters in Cairo waving flags on Cairo's Tahrir Square

Egypt's bleak reality

It's been 10 years since the Arab Spring ousted President Hosni Mubarak — and the new regime's grip is firmer than ever.

Kommentarbild Emoji Frau dunkle Haut

Kommentarbild Emoji Frau dunkle Haut

Egypt is synonymous with hopelessness

Farida Layl

Ten years ago, hope and dreams of a better future swept through Cairo. Today there is nothing left.

Egypt: Amnesty slams 'inhumane' prison conditions

Ten years after the Arab Spring, prisons in Egypt are just as bad as ever, Amnesty has reported.

Ten years after Egypt's January 25 revolution, many of those who led protests are disillusioned or in jail.

Ten years after Egypt's January 25 revolution, many of those who led protests are disillusioned or in jail.

Icons of Egypt's 2011 revolution: Where are they now?

Ten years after Egypt's January 25 revolution, many of those who led protests are disillusioned or in jail.

Sarah Mersch

Sarah Mersch

Tunisia's protests come with a bitter taste

Sarah Mersch

Recent unrest shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's followed the country's trajectory over the past years.

Ägypten Street Art Arabischer Frühling 2011

Ägypten Street Art Arabischer Frühling 2011

Street art in the Egyptian revolution

Egypt's street artists expressed their dissent on Cairo's walls.

Ganzeer's tank pointing at a boy on a bicycle is an iconic image from the 2011 revolution

Ganzeer's tank pointing at a boy on a bicycle is an iconic image from the 2011 revolution

Egypt's revolutionary street art

In 2011, street artists used their creativity to voice dissent in Egypt as thousands demanded democratic rights.

Protesters in Tunisia, fire breaking out

Protesters in Tunisia, fire breaking out

Tunisia arrests hundreds, deploys army after riot

Violent protests spread across Tunisia after the government imposed an anti-virus lockdown amid economic hardship.

DW Reporterin Aya Ibrahim

DW Reporterin Aya Ibrahim

Comparing Washington with Arab unrest is insulting

Aya Ibrahim

Comparisons of the events in Washington with the Arab Spring uprisings are stupid and offensive.

Ten years after the Arab Spring, Tunisians are asking themselves how much has changed

Ten years after the Arab Spring, Tunisians are asking themselves how much has changed

Tunisians are disappointed, 10 years after the Arab Spring

Ten years after the Arab Spring, Tunisia still faces massive economic challenges and is struggling to stay democratic.

A woman standing on top of a car addresses a crowd

A woman standing on top of a car addresses a crowd

Why the Arab Spring never engulfed sub-Saharan Africa

Ten years ago, protests brought down regimes in North Africa. Despite similarities, an "African Spring" never happened.

Irak | Proteste und Ausschreitungen in Sulaymaniyah

Irak | Proteste und Ausschreitungen in Sulaymaniyah

Iraq's deadly new protests are different

The political conflicts are the same; the protesters' demands are, too. But, locals say, this time it's different.

Hamburg | Workshop für Medien-Start-Ups

Hamburg | Workshop für Medien-Start-Ups

What you need to know to fund a digital media startup

Here's a guide to the dos and dont's of revenue streams for digital media startups, with tips from DW Akademie.

Armed and masked men in fatigues stand in front of a military vehicle before a wall topped by barbed wire.

Armed and masked men in fatigues stand in front of a military vehicle before a wall topped by barbed wire.

Why Tunisia still struggles with extremists

Tunisia was an early model of Arab Spring success — yet several perpetrators of recent attacks come from there.

Protests on the streets of Sbeitla

Protests on the streets of Sbeitla

Tunisian man's death triggers rage, protests

Protests broke out in Tunisia following reports that a man was killed when authorities bulldozed his son's kiosk.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi adressing parliament

Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi adressing parliament

Tunisia swears in new government

Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and his Cabinet won a marathon confidence vote on Tuesday.

Sollich Rainer Kommentarbild App

Sollich Rainer Kommentarbild App

Opinion: Europe and US have failed Syria

Rainer Sollich

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been in power for 20 years. The West is partly to blame, says DW's Rainer Sollich.