Why Is the Arab World Suddenly Awakening?

I often get asked the question of why the Arab World is suddenly awakening and why now? The truth of the matter is there isn't a single reason for it. While some may have thought the breakdown of the Soviet Empire would lead to the democratization of the Middle East, as it did to other regions, in itself it didn’t. Others thought the US invasion of Iraq would lead to a democratic domino effect. It didn’t either. Others talked about development and education leaps and called for reform. Arabs have been relatively educated for more than two decades- more so that India and Indonesia and on par with Latin America. While it helped the other regions in the 1990’s to cement their democracies, it didn’t have such an immediate effect in the Arab world. Technology has certainly played a role, but mobile phone technology and the Internet have been around for more than a decade, so why did it make a difference now and not before? Is it one reason that brought about all this or a coalescence of all?

New Realities in an Old World is a book that argues for the latter highlighting the key developments and milestones that occurred along the way. Of course the key question is: Is this not just stating the obvious? It isn’t. In fact some policy prescriptions occurring now are based on false assumptions. Until we know the full extent of the causes for what is happening today could we understand their implications to the future and what policy prescriptions best be applied to cement these positive development keeping at bay sinister elements within Arab society.