Trajectories and outcomes of the 'Arab Spring' : comparing Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria

Almost three years have passed since the 'Arab Spring' began in late 2010. In the major sites of popular uprisings, political conditions remain unsettled or violent. Despite similarities in their original opposition to authoritarian rule, the outcomes differed from country to country. In Tunisia and Egypt, processes of transiting from authoritarian rule produced contrasting consequences for democratic politics. Uprisings led to armed rebellion in Libya and Syria, but whereas Gaddafi was overthrown, Asad was not. What explains the different trajectories and outcomes of the Arab Spring? How were these shaped by the power structure and levels of social control of the pre-uprising regimes and their state institutions, on the one hand, and by the character of the societies and oppositional forces that rose against them? Comparing Tunisia with Egypt, and Libya with Syria, this paper discusses various factors that account for variations in the trajectories and outcomes of the Arab Spring, namely, the legacy of the previous regime, institutional and constitutional choices during "transition" from authoritarian rule, socioeconomic conditions, and the presence of absence of ethnic, sectarian and geographic diversity.

Insignificance and Minor Architecture

The fragmented condition of our everyday brings us closer to the risks of hyper-expression. Against it two positions unfold to help us face a world that escapes our capacities: familiarity and poetic recognition. In the latter it is crucial the role of the insignificant as dynamic and relational instigator of a conscious threading of reality through the actions of the Poeta Faber and his careful look onto the world. / The production of the common as the material and symbolic fabric of the city, unstable reality in a perpetual becoming, leads us to a new and much needed reconsideration of the public/private division born from the modern state. Immersed in the confusion between public and common, we have not perceived that through the expropriation of the first we have been prepared for the willing surrendering of the second. / From insignificance to rebellion as affirmative going into action related to the idea of minor architecture as common and intensely political production, born from the inside of a society that has no more outsides.

Confession of students for walking out of commons, April 1807

This document, signed by 108 students, contains a confession for their part in the 1807 student rebellion. Students were required to sign this confession in order to avoid expulsion.

Testimonies of Students, Number 1-5, 1768 April

Handwritten testimonies of students regarding their actions during the rebellion. Each student's statement was numbered, and groups of statements were also assigned a number, as indicated in the list below.

Testimonies of Students, Number 6-10, 1768 April

Handwritten testimonies of students regarding the rebellion. Each student's statement was numbered, and sheets of paper were also assigned a number, as indicated in the list below.

Testimonies of Students, Number 11-16, 1768 April

Handwritten testimonies of students regarding the rebellion. Each student's statement was numbered, and sheets of paper were also assigned a number, as indicated in the list below.

Evidences vs Tudor, [1768 April]

2-page handwritten account of William Tudor's actions on April 2 and 3, 1768.

Evidences against Austin, [1768 April]

4-page handwritten list of evidence summarizing the testimony provided by individual students against Jonathan William Austin.

Evidences against Peabody, [1768 April]

2-page handwritten list of evidence summarizing the testimony provided by individual students against Stephen Peabody.

Evidences against Tudor, [1768 April]

3-page handwritten list of evidence summarizing the testimony provided by individual students against William Tudor.

Austin's Confession, [1768 May]

One-page undated handwritten confession by Jonathan William Austin to the Harvard faculty.

Austin's Petition, [1768 May]

One-page handwritten petition by Jonathan William Austin to the Harvard Corporation requesting readmission to the College.

Austin's Petition, [1768 May]

One-page handwritten petition by Jonathan William Austin to the Harvard Faculty requesting readmission to the College.

Peabody's Confession, [1768 May]

One-page handwritten petition by Stephen Peabody to the Harvard Corporation requesting readmission to the College.

Peabody's Petition, [1768 May]

One-page undated handwritten confession by Stephen Peabody to the Harvard Faculty.