43
and regime change or fundamental reforms in relation to
citizens who until now were under the thumb of dictators who
had risen to power by virtue of monarchical succession or
military coups. The fact that these aspirations have not thus
far been realized does not mean they disappeared, and the
revolutionary potential still exists. Nonetheless, this is not
a yearning for Western intervention to bring about change,
but rather an authentic desire on the part of Middle Eastern
peoples for the institution of freedom and justice based on
the will of the people itself.
An opinion article written by As’ad Ghanem immediately
after the revolution in Egypt pointed to the far-reaching
changes taking place in the Arab world. “This is a single
joint revolution, implemented by Tunisians and Egyptians, to
which most Arabs and free people in the world are partner.
It is the result of using of media we were not familiar with
before. It will be the basis for creating a united, democratic
future for one nation whose enemies and rulers want it to be
disunited. The nation has not surrendered and is seeking that
which we share for a new revival. The test lies in the ability
to rid ourselves of the burden of colonial history, which was
followed by the implementation of internal colonialism by
the ruling elites against the Arab nations.”
12
A year after the Arab Spring, also known as the as Facebook
and Twitter Revolution or the Arab/Islamic Winter, the Institute
for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv held a
conference aimed at gaining an understanding of what
was happening in the region. Amos Yadlin objected to the
use of the term “Arab Spring” because “this is not a brief
season of blossoming; the events will not necessarily lead
to a Western model of democracy, and nor is this a domino
effect that will sweep the entire Arab world.” The process
will take many more years, he said. Asher Susser brought
up the subject of the dissonance between the terms used
to describe the events and what actually occurred. The
terms that were on everyone’s lips, such as “spring” and a
Facebook and Twitter Revolution, were quite remote from
the actual outcome. According to him, this is because not
enough importance is attached to the cultural context and
there is a reluctance to acknowledge the difference of the
other.
13
In an article about the Arab Spring, Elie Podeh and
Nimrod Goren argued that the term “Arab Spring” was soon
replaced by the term “Arab/Islamic Winter,” which reflects the
negative Israeli framing of the events occurring in the region.
14
Despite the differences attributable to what is happening
in the Arab world, there can be no doubt that the name
“Arab Spring” was indicative more than anything else of the
desire of the peoples of the region to effect drastic changes,
12 As’ad Ghanem, “The earthquake in Cairo heralds the long-hoped-
for dawn,” Al Jazeera Net,
/
opinions/2011/2/8/
13 Conference on: One Year of the Arab Spring: Global and Regional
Implications, INSS, January 26, 2012,
14 Elie Podeh and Nimrod Goren, “Israel in the Wake of the Arab
Spring: Seizing Opportunities, Overcoming Challenges,” Ramat
Gan: Mitvim, 2013.
and especially of their demand for justice and democratic
treatment by the regime towards the citizens. The Arab Spring
revolutions created a new reality in the Middle East, which
is still in flux. The intensity of the protest drowned out the
roar of the tanks in the streets, and a complex and unique
process of democratization unlike anything known before
was launched. Because of the unique situation of the Arabs,
who have never experienced democracy, and especially
due to the need of these peoples to express themselves
out of a sense of awareness and connection to their country
and the world, the region’s future democratization offers
new opportunities to the countries of the Middle East. The
democratic idea appeals to the Arabs of the Middle East
too, but the process of democratization must emanate
from the people of the region themselves, in a way that is
consistent with the Arab culture and the unique nature of
the countries of the Middle East, albeit with outside support
from democratic countries. The Arab Spring is still under
way today, in accordance with the unique features of each
of the states undergoing drastic changes, as well as in the
states in which the potential for a revolution has not yet
ripened. What is of particular interest in the entire series of
changes that began in 2003 (with the overthrow of Saddam
Hussein) is the intensity of the demand for democratization,
a message absorbed at the speed of light and that became
a source of identity and inspiration among the citizens of
the free world, states and minorities in the Middle East and
in Israel. This became a framework for intensive research
and activity to gain an understanding of the directions of
future development and their impact on states, the region
and the world system.
The Arab Spring heralded the beginning of a new era in the
region, whose final outcome is very difficult to foresee at
this stage. Like with any drastic change, we are witnessing
resistance that is undermining stability and that involves the
use of violence, which in some cases is quite extreme and
destructive. The cases of Libya and Syria are illustrative
of the negative directions that the Arab Spring has taken.
As might be expected, experts pursued the more negative
scenarios of the Arab Spring, which is important in order
to present the options for contending on all the different
levels. But more important, in my view, is to listen to the
voices of those in the Arab world who continue to strive for
democratization, to observe them and ensure the success of
the transformation process with regional and global support.
Should this process fail, it would undoubtedly weaken the free
voices in the Arab world and bolster the traditional, extremist
and ultimately destructive attitudes, which will inflict grave
damage on the citizens and the world in general.
More than at any other time in the past, the Arab Spring may
be characterized as a drastic change from within. This is
the source of its strength, even if in most countries in the
Middle East we are currently seeing reverse processes. It
is more important now than ever for regional and global
democratic parties to join forces with the positive players,
those who aspire to achieve democracy in the Middle East,
