From Hope to Uncertainty: A Glance at the Developments of the Arab Spring

FROM HOPE TO UNCERTAINTY: A GLANCE AT THE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE. ... Acab ...... Spring Mohamed Bouazizi, Tunisian street vendor, doused himself with paint thinner and lit his body aflame in protest of President Ben Ali's 23 year corrupt and opressive government. BYA BAHRAIN Y MEN RAN LGERIA UNISIA GYPT Within a month, demonstra- tions spread across the region. Bouazizi's final act of defiance sparked a revolutiọn. protest and governmental changes civil disorder Iminor protests major protests civil war protests outside the Arab world revolution 230,000 tweets a day #arabspring #revolution Social media played a critical role in mobilisation, empowerment, shaping opinions and influencing change. 94% of people in Tunisia and 88% of people in Egypt said they got their news from social media. Some leaders in the region agreed to reforms, but most answered with military force. Hosni FREE MeRIca WITH YO FGY Mubarak, ex-President of Egypt 846 Deaths Colonel Gaddafi, ex-Ruler of Libya Ben Ali, ex-President of Tunisia Deaths 1300 Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria One of the worst conflicts has been the ongoing Syrian Civil War, which gained the attention of the world when Assad's government allegedly used "Sarin gas" on its own people. 110,000 Deaths The people of neighboring nations have opened their borders and homes The UN Refugee Agency and many NGO's have opened camps like Za'atri Camp, to give shelter, food and to the millions of refugees escaping tragedy. medical aid. Where are the refugees going? Lebanon 26% 34% Jordan 3% Egypt 24% Turkey 13% Iraq THUN Refu e A The Arab Spring has seen the fall of at least 5 despots, but the price has been high. What began with peaceful demon- stration is now a global crisis. With the possibility of involvement from the United States and Russia the conflict seems to be only getting more complex. The only thing that is certain is that countless sacrifices are being made in the name of freedom. SILENT NO MORE Sources: UNHCR, The United Nations Refugee Agency, "Arab Social Media Report" Dubai School of Government, "Facebook and Twitter Key to Arab Spring Uprisings: Report" The National, Jun 06, 2011, "Opening Closed Regimes: What Was The Role of Social Media During the Arab Spring, University of Washington, Sept 11, 2011, Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics, Egypt, Feb 28, 2012, UN.org By Enrique Ruiz Sept 23, 2013 Decem-ber 17th $2010 11:30 am“ ODeaths :...... 000'0