Podcast: "The Arab Spring’s Uneven Harvest: Successes, Setbacks and Failed States"

An audio recording of the seminar with Hedi Larbi, Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, Fall 2015, MEI and Paul Salem, Vice President for Research and Policy, Middle East Institute, Washington, D.C. Introductory session for the fall 2015 study group was led by MEI Visiting Scholar Hedi Larbi on Rewriting the Arab Social Contract: Toward Inclusive Development and Politics in the Arab World.

Listen to the full recording of Mr. Larbi and Dr. Salem's September 15th presentation below:

Almost five years since​ millions of​ Arab ​protestors demanded a new socio-economic and political contract for their societies​, the harvest of change has been dramatically uneven. While Tunisia has moved forward toward inclusive democratic reform, other countries like Libya, Syria and Yemen have descended into outright state collapse and civil war, while Egypt has experienced a resurgence of nationalist authoritarianism. Meanwhile, radical groups like ISIS have risen to announce a new state and Caliphate astride the Syrian-Iraqi border. Why did demands for a new social contract fail, in most cases, to move forward? What could have been done differently? What can still be done today to de-escalate conflict and return to the task of building stable, inclusive and productive societies in the Arab world.