LONDON: In an article published in 2020 when Arab News celebrated its 45th anniversary, Abdel Latif El-Menawy, the former head of news at Egypt’s state broadcaster, reflected on the fall of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak nine years previously.
“In history, there are certain major events that should stop us and make us think for a long while,” he wrote.
“We must contemplate them to understand what happened, learn from them, avoid making the same mistakes, and emphasize what we found to be correct.”
Although El-Menawy was referring specifically to Mubarak’s downfall, his words ring true for the broader events that unfolded across the Arab world in 2011. In a climate of frustration, political repression and economic hardship, people took to the streets, igniting a wave of revolts that swept across the region. From North Africa to the Levant, demonstrators rose up against entrenched authoritarianism, corruption and inequality.
Historians would label this period the “Arab Spring,” a moment of upheaval driven by the hope of revolution and change. As with all major historical uprisings, it was born out of long-standing grievances and driven by ordinary people seeking dignity and a better future.
How we wrote it
Arab News reported that Tunisian leader Ben Ali has fled his country after failing to quell the protests that ignited the Arab Spring.
The single spark that ignited the entire movement came on Dec. 17, 2010, when a young Tunisian street vendor, Mohammed Bouazizi, set himself on fire in protest against police harassment. His desperate act electrified Tunisia, triggering mass demonstrations that quickly escalated into what became known as the Jasmine Revolution.
The Tunisian government’s attempts to quell the unrest, through violent crackdowns and then last-minute political concessions, failed to contain the anger. The protests overwhelmed the country’s security forces and on Jan. 14, 2011, President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country, bringing to an abrupt end his 23-year rule.
The uprising in Tunisia sent shock waves across the region. In Egypt, anger that had long been simmering beneath the surface finally boiled over. Inspired by the success of the protests in Tunisia, and mobilized through social media, tens of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets on Jan. 25, 2011.
Tahrir Square in Cairo became the epicenter of the revolution, where a sea of protesters gathered to demand the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, a former military officer who had served as president of Egypt since 1981.
According to a later governmental commission, over the course of 18 days at least 846 people were killed and thousands more injured. The pressure on Mubarak became unsustainable and on Feb. 11, after 30 years in power, he stepped down.
Key Dates
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Tunisian street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi sets himself on fire in protest against police harassment, triggering the Tunisian revolution and broader Arab Spring. Within a month, Tunisia’s president, Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, is overthrown.
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Protests erupt in Yemen and Syria. In Egypt, thousands gather in Tahrir Square, Cairo, demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. He steps down after 18 days of mass protests.
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Anti-Qaddafi protests break out in Benghazi, marking the start of an uprising in Libya that soon escalates into civil war. Qaddafi is captured and killed by rebels on Oct. 20.
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An uprising starts in Syria after security forces kill protesters demanding the release of political prisoners. A civil war begins.
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Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is seriously injured in an assassination attempt and flees the country.
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Syria’s President Bashar Assad flees the country when his regime collapses in the face of a major opposition offensive, ending 14 years of civil war.
It was a historic moment, not only for Egypt but for the entire Arab world. As Arab News reported the next day, “fireworks burst over Tahrir Square and Egypt exploded with joy and tears of relief” at the fall of a leader “who until the end seemed unable to grasp the depth of resentment over his three decades of rule.”
El-Menawy, who was responsible within the Mubarak government for managing the state media, was informed by a leading military figure of the imminent departure of the president. He immediately released the information to news organizations. As he later recalled, he felt conflicted about the turn of events.
“I was not part of the regime in its political sense but I was a professional employed by the state and had a role to play,” he said. But at the same time “I also had many friends in Tahrir Square demonstrating for what they believed in.” Understandably, “emotions were running high” that day, he added.
Encouraged by the rapid successes of the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, uprisings erupted across Yemen, Bahrain, Libya and Syria between January and March 2011. Unlike in Tunisia and Egypt, where regimes fell quickly, these revolts spiraled into prolonged and bloody conflicts, leaving a legacy of instability that lingers to this day.
In Yemen, pro-democracy protesters demanded the resignation of longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh. While they succeeded in ousting him, the revolution plunged the country into civil war, exacerbating deep-seated tribal divisions and paving the way for the Houthis to capitalize on the chaos. The conflict led to one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history, triggering famine and a devastating cholera outbreak.
In Bahrain, the protests were swiftly subdued. However, authorities did implement some reforms recommended by an independent commission.
Egyptian protestor is hugged by army soldier as he raises his hands to the sky after troops took position at major junctions in central Cairo on January 29, 2011. AFP
In Libya, anti-government protests against Muammar Qaddafi had escalated into an armed revolt by mid-February 2011. The uprising gained momentum with the intervention of NATO, which launched airstrikes targeting Qaddafi’s forces.
This foreign backing ultimately led to Qaddafi’s downfall and death in October 2011 but the country descended into chaos soon after. The newly formed Transitional National Council struggled to impose its authority, and by 2014 Libya had collapsed into civil war, divided between rival factions.
Syria emerged from the Arab Spring in much worse shape than it had been before. The protests against President Bashar Assad, which began in southern Syria and spread nationwide in mid-March 2011, were met with brutal repression.
Assad’s violent crackdown plunged Syria into deep instability, transforming it into a battleground for competing global and regional powers, including the US, Russia, Turkiye, Iran, Kurdish forces and Daesh.
As Arab News journalist Sharif Nashashibi observed five years ago, on the 45th anniversary of Arab News: “The many injustices facing the Arab world over the decades — some imposed from outside, others fostered from within — led to vibrant and determined movements that campaigned for self-determination, human rights, justice, equality and international law.
“Those movements provided hope to counterbalance despair and disillusionment. The Syrian conflict snuffed out that hope.”
People wave independence-era Syrian flags during celebrations for the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad at the main Umayyad Square in Damascus. AFP
After 14 years of war, the fate of Syria took a dramatic turn in December 2024, when the rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, led by former Al-Qaeda commander Ahmad Al-Sharaa, seized control during a swift offensive that finally toppled the Assad family’s 53-year ruling regime.
This moment marked a historic turning point, encapsulating the domino effect that had reshaped the region, from the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq to the rise of Iranian influence.
Despite the most recent developments, the Syrian revolution was a tragedy best understood through the suffering of those who lived it, whether among the hundreds of thousands imprisoned and tortured by Assad’s regime or the millions forced into exile, uncertain if they would ever see their homeland or loved ones again.
Nearly 15 years after it began, many of the hopes and promises of the Arab Spring remain unfulfilled. Several countries continue to struggle with weak leadership, extremist insurgencies and economic collapse.
But the effects of that season of revolt can be observed in the fates of five regional leaders whose regimes once seemed impregnable: Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, and Bashar Assad of Syria.
Of those five, only one, Assad, is still alive, having fled his country to seek asylum in Moscow.
- Gabriele Malvisi is a researcher and contributor to the Research & Studies Unit at Arab News.
