Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, set himself on fire in December 2010 after police confiscated his wares and humiliated him, sparking protests against poverty and corruption. The protests led to the ousting of Tunisia's long-time president and inspired similar uprisings across the Middle East against authoritarian regimes, becoming known as the Arab Spring. Uprisings in countries including Egypt, Libya, and Yemen resulted in regime changes, civil wars, or ongoing political instability and violence. The events highlighted issues such as unemployment, inequality, lack of political freedom, and calls for greater democracy and human rights in the region.

1. An Eric Lamberth Production

2. The Spark:
On that particular Friday morning Bouazizi was stopped by local police who
had been known to harass him over the years. Reportedly the police beat
him, made slurs against his family, tossed his produce cart, and took his
electronic weighing scales.
Bouazizi went to the governor’s office to complain, however, the governor
would not see him. Desperate, enraged, and humiliated Mohamed went to a
nearby gas station. He acquired a can of gasoline, returned to the governor’s
office, and covered himself with the gas. He stood in the middle of traffic
shouting “how do you expect me to make a living?” At 11:30 a.m., less than an
hour after the incident with police, he lit himself on fire in an act known as self -
immolation.

5. It is estimated that 600-
700 protesters were
killed during the month
of February 2011 before
the rebels took up arms
against Gaddafi. Finally
around March 19th 2011
the UN Security Council
Another well-known intervened with coalition
event which resulted in forces to assist the
an all-out civil war, the Libyan rebels in their
Libyan offensive. On October
revolution, began on 20 2011 Gaddafi was
15 February 2011.
captured and killed. Two
Libyan leader, Colonel
days later the end of the
Muammar Gaddafi
began a violent war was
campaign against declared, however, fighti
protesters using ng continues to this day.
artillery, warplanes, ma
chine guns, and
security forces as well
as foreign
mercenaries in a
scorched earth
strategy.

7. Causes include human rights violations, economic decline, as well as
extreme poverty caused by unemployment; a new generation of majority and
educated youth with the drive and determination to force a change.
Globalization brings Western Culture to oppressed Middle Eastern countries.
Women are becoming educated and fighting for equality for the first time ever
in some countries. Huge concentrations of wealth are in the hands of a select
few. Social media takes the movements worldwide. Amnesty International
pointed to Wikileaks’ as a catalyst for the revolts by exposing government
corruption to the people.

8. Corrupt leaders and governments of several countries have been removed
sometimes by force. Some social changes have been made ranging from monetary
compensation to ending longstanding emergency law. Many countries saw the
release of political prisoners while some saw the prosecution of criminals and the
liquidation of their assets. Women gained the right to vote in some countries
while other countries were given the right to hold elections.
On the other hand Islamic fundamentalists now have an open door to many
places where they were not tolerated in the past. People who have lived under the
rule of dictators for decades now find themselves in unfamiliar territory and are
looking for leadership. The current elections being held in Egypt is a who’s who of
Islamic groups like Gamaa al-Islamiya, who claim to be “former “ militants, and
the most prominent party the Muslim Brotherhood, were banned in Egypt for
being extremists. Riots continue to this day and the entire region is in turmoil.

9. Article Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisian_Revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Bouazizi
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2044723,00.html
http://www.thenation.com/article/158991/arab-spring
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring
http://www.thenation.com/article/158991/arab-spring
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/arab-spring
http://socialistworker.org/2011/11/29/debating-the-arab-spring
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Egyptian_revolution
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/egypt-revolution-2011_n_816026.html
http://globalvoicesonline.org/specialcoverage/egypt-protests-2011/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wael_Ghonim
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmaa_Mahfouz
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/8/asmaa_mahfouz_the_youtube_video_that
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Libyan_civil_war
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2011/03/world/libya.civil.war/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Wall_Street
http://occupywallst.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_England_riots

10. Photo Resources:
Arab Spring: http://www.strategicoutlook.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/arab-spring.jpg
Mohamed Bouazizi: http://www.paulchefurka.ca/Mohamed%20Bouazizi.png
http://www.digitalproductionme.com/pictures/tunisia.jpg
Tunisian Revolution: http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Tunisia-bouazizi.jpg
http://nationalpostcomment.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/tunisia.jpg
Asmaa Mahfouz: http://dailymaverick.co.za/photo/resize/2011-08-15-asmaa-mahfouz/618/408
Wael Ghonim: http://assets.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/wael-ghonim-google-cnn-2-9-11-
large.jpg
Egyptian Revolution:
http://www.kerryguy.com/inspirational-journey/images/stories/egypt-revolution-2011.jpg
http://dreamlife.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/egypt.jpg
Libya pics: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
rCeaq_UXNFQ/TZB_dNomdjI/AAAAAAAACiA/_3u8UxooDwU/s400/b46cf_Libya-war-2011-us-
gaddafi.jpg
http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/libya0309/s_l01_RTR2JNW9.jpg
http://tihik.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/libya_rebel_fighters_02.jpg
http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2011/08/23/150010-libya-fall-of-tripoli.jpg
http://www.screenok.com/images/wallpapers/libyan-revolution-flag-331194.jpeg
Spring Map:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Arab_Spring_map_reframed_updated_2.2.png
Occupy Wall Street: http://xaxor.com/images/Occupy-Wall-Street-signs/Occupy-Wall-Street-signs09.jpg
http://thyblackman.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Occupy-Wall-Street.jpg
London: http://magazine.motilo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/london-riots-tottenham-motilo.jpg