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Arab Spring

The Arab Spring was a series of protests directed against various authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, starting at the end of 2010.

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All Content on this topic

Sollich Rainer Kommentarbild App

Opinion: Europe and US have failed Syria

Rainer Sollich
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been in power for 20 years. The West is partly to blame, says DW's Rainer Sollich.
ConflictsJuly 17, 2020
Egyptiane ex president Hosni Mubarak

Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak dies

Mubarak ruled Egypt for 30 years until he was toppled by the Arab Spring movement.
PoliticsFebruary 25, 2020
Tunesien Tod der Bloggerin Lina Ben Mhenni | Beerdigung

Tunisia mourns the death of Lina Ben Mhenni

Tunisia bid farewell to Ben Mhenni, one of the voices of the Arab Spring, who died on January 27 after a long illness.
Freedom of SpeechJanuary 29, 2020
Berlin summit venue

Libya summit: Who wants to achieve what?

As expectations built ahead of a key Libyan peace summit, politicians voiced their expectations and agendas.
ConflictsJanuary 19, 2020
Sollich Rainer Kommentarbild App

Is the Middle East seeing a new Arab Spring?

Rainer Sollich
From Iraq and Lebanon to Sudan and Algeria, the current uprisings in the Arab world are reminiscent of the Arab Spring.
PoliticsNovember 8, 2019
Iraq anti-government protesters use slingshots to fire stones in Baghdad.

Iraq security forces kill protesters with live rounds

Security forces in Baghdad opened fire on protesters who crossed into the fortified Green Zone of the Iraqi capital.
PoliticsNovember 4, 2019
Conservative academic Kais Saied

Tunisia: Kais Saied is projected winner

The conservative academic, who took more than 70% of the vote, has thanked the "young people for turning a new page."
PoliticsOctober 13, 2019
A Tunisian woman votes in the parliamentary elections

Voting in Tunisia ends in uncertainty and discontent

The moderate Islamist Ennahda party was set to win most votes at Tunisia parliamentary vote ahead of Heart of Tunisia.
PoliticsOctober 7, 2019
Women in Tunis walk past campaign signage for the parliamentary elections

A chance for political newcomers in Tunisia?

Tunisians will elect a new parliament on Sunday, and all indications point to heavy losses for establishment parties.
PoliticsOctober 5, 2019
Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah

Key Egyptian rights activist arrested

Alaa Abdel-Fattah was detained while on day release, having served five years in jail for staging an illegal protest.
CrimeSeptember 29, 2019
Protesters yelling in Cairo

Egyptians emboldened to defy el-Sissi

Egypt has seen the first significant protests against Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in his six years of authoritarian rule.
PoliticsSeptember 24, 2019
Protester burns a picture of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

The robber baron of Tunisia

Ben Ali ruled Tunisia for more than 20 years, and became the first despot to be deposed during the Arab Spring.
PoliticsSeptember 19, 2019
external

Voter apathy among Tunisia's youth

Tunisia is held up as the only nation in the region to have managed the transition to democracy
September 13, 201903:06 min
Protesters hold photos of detained activists

Jailed Bahrainis win citizenship reprieve

Nearly 1,000 people have had their citizenship revoked since the 2011 Arab Spring protests by the Shiite population.
Human RightsApril 21, 2019
Alaa Abdel-Fattah

Egyptian pro-democracy activist freed from prison

A leading Egyptian pro-democracy campaigner, Alaa Abdel-Fattah, has been freed from jail after five years behind bars.
Law and JusticeMarch 29, 2019
Algerien Algier - Abdelaziz Bouteflika im Rollstuhl zur Wahl 2017

Algeria's phantom president

As Algeria reels, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stays out of public view. Who actually holds power in Algeria?
PoliticsMarch 6, 2019
Algerien Proteste gegen die Regierung

Algeria: Thousands protest against president

Algerians have staged large pre-election protests against a fifth term for veteran President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
PoliticsMarch 1, 2019
Ali Salman

Top Bahrain court upholds life jailings

Bahrain has upheld lifelong jail terms imposed on three opposition figures involved in pro-democracy protests.
PoliticsJanuary 28, 2019
Egypt security forces

Egypt kills 40 'terrorists' after tourist bus attack

It is unclear whether the raids were connected to Friday's attack on a Vietnamese tourist bus in Giza.
SocietyDecember 29, 2018
Women and men vote in Bahrain election

Bahrain parliamentary runoff held with boycott

Bahrainis are choosing candidates for 31 parliamentary seats not secured during last week's first round election.
PoliticsDecember 1, 2018
Mudhoon Loay Kommentarbild App

What's left of the Arab Spring?

Loay Mudhoon
Not much remains of the euphoria and hope that drove the Arab Spring, but a return to pre-2011 conditions is impossible.
PoliticsNovember 26, 2018
Türkei Fall Khashoggi - Trauergebete

Arabic language media as the despots' henchmen

The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi highlights the difficulties media in post-revolutionary Arab states face.
PoliticsNovember 26, 2018
Ägypten um 1960 | Alexandria

World in Progress: Alexandria — where the past and present collide

The ancient city of Alexandria has a colorful cosmopolitan history but many inhabitants are now disillusioned.
PoliticsNovember 14, 201829:59 min
Matthew Hedges with his wife Daniela Tejada (private)

UAE charges UK academic with spying

British academic Matthew Hedges has already been in custody in the UAE for several months.
PoliticsOctober 15, 2018
Egyptian soldiers behind barbed wire

Egypt regime fears 'another Arab Spring'

With talk of mass protests in the air, a new wave of arrests has targeted former diplomats and opposition figures.
PoliticsAugust 25, 2018
Tunesien Souad Abderrahim, erste weibliche Bürgermeisterin von Tunis

First female mayor of Tunis hails 'win for women's rights'

Souad Abderrahim's victory was supported by an ex-Islamist party. Could it signal a new start for Tunisian democracy?
PoliticsJuly 11, 2018
Souad Abderrahim

Islamist-supported candidate is first female mayor of Tunis

Souad Abderrahim dedicated her victory to "all women who have struggled" to reach senior positions.
PoliticsJuly 3, 2018
Women and men handle ballot papers at a polling station in Tunis (picture-alliance/AA)

Tunisia: Low turnout as Ennahda claims victory

Ennahda has claimed a win over its rival, Nidaa Tounes, in local elections. But voter turnout was just 33.7 percent.
PoliticsMay 7, 2018
A Tunisian voter casts her ballot in Ben Arous, near Tunis

Tunisia holds first local polls since 2011 Arab Spring

The president says the polls are a key step in the road to democracy, but observers predict a low turnout.
PoliticsMay 6, 2018
Protesters confront police in Tunis

Tunisia stuck in post-revolution limbo

Faced with stalled reforms and unemployment, Tunisians are left with an increasingly desperate situation at home.
PoliticsApril 1, 201811 images
Conflict Zone Zitattafel- Khemaies Jhinaoui

Tunisian FM: 'We are not yet a democracy'

Is Tunisia slipping back into repression and chaos? Tim Sebastian meets Khemaies Jhinaoui.
PoliticsFebruary 21, 2018
01.2012 DW World Stories Sendungslogo

World Stories - The Week in Reports

Trump's war on the press - Change without growth in Tunisia - Swine fever in Poland
PoliticsJanuary 20, 201812:01 min
Tunisian protesters hold flares and shout slogans against the government

Protests in Tunisia on Arab Spring anniversary

Protesters have lit flares and shouted anti-government slogans on the seventh anniversary of the Arab Spring uprising.
SocietyJanuary 14, 2018
external

Tunisia marks revolt amid unrest

Seven years after the revolt, anger over never-ending economic woes erupts into fresh protests.
January 14, 201802:30 min
Tunisian protesters hold up yellow cards in symbolic warning to the government. Yassine Gaidi / Anadolu Agency

Arrests in Tunisia near 800 amid protests

Hundreds of Tunisians have continued anti-government protests, ahead of the Arab Spring anniversary.
PoliticsJanuary 12, 2018
Riot police and protesters in a street with burning debris

Tunisia hit by third night of violent protests

Tunisians have taken to the streets of several cities, including the capital, in a third night of violent protests.
PoliticsJanuary 11, 2018
A protester in Tunis cowers in front of Tunisian police during a demonstration on January 9, 2018

Tunisia protests: Has the revolution failed?

Demonstrations have swept Tunisia due to austerity measures enacted by the government. What do these protests mean?
PoliticsJanuary 9, 2018
Tunesien Ausschreitungen & Protest gegen steigende Preise

Tunisia anti-austerity protests turn deadly

Protests have broken out across Tunisia after the government's austerity measures came into effect on January 1.
PoliticsJanuary 9, 2018
Protests in Iran

Middle East divided over Iranian protests

Anti-government protests in Iran have escalated in recent days. What does the rest of the Middle East think?
PoliticsJanuary 3, 2018
Protests in Morocco

Morocco faces renewed protests after men die in closed mine

The men's deaths have sparked rage over unsafe mining, high electricity prices and low economic fortunes in the country.
PoliticsDecember 31, 2017
Global 3000 Tunesien Demokratie

Tunisia – a struggling young democracy

After the Arab Spring was born on its streets in 2010, Tunisia faces many challenges.
SocietyDecember 22, 201703:46 min
Tunisian Citizens Filling The Plaza in Front of The Prime Ministers S Office in Tunis

Seven years after Arab Spring, Tunisia's future uncertain

Seven years after the Arab Spring, Tunisia is still struggling to achieve democratic reforms and economic growth.
PoliticsDecember 18, 2017
DW Sendung Shift Arabische Onlinesatire

Arab online satire

Online satirists and cartoonists are fighting dictatorship in Middle East.
Digital WorldOctober 9, 201704:31 min
Symbolbild Arabischer Frühling Tunesien

World in Progress: Tunisia's fledgling democracy

Tunisia's democratic transition is held up as a success story, albeit a fragile one.
PoliticsSeptember 20, 201706:50 min
Ausstellung - Zwischen Zonen: Künstlerinnen aus dem arabisch-persischen Raum

Bold art by Persian-Arab women at the Marta Herford.

The Marta Herford museum shows contemporary women's art from the Arab world, Iran and North Africa.
CultureJune 23, 2017
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Festnahme Libyen

Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam freed in Libya

Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, has been released by his captors.
PoliticsJune 11, 2017
Türkei Jahrestag Gezi-Park Taksim-Platz 31.5.2014

Twitter, tear gas and life in digital streets

We like to think our online and offline lives are separate things. But they're intertwined. Zeynep Tukekci tells DW why.
ScienceMay 30, 2017
A silhoutte of a young rapper infront of the microphone.

Pulse: Morrocan rappers

Many young Moroccans are using rap to voice their concerns but as Guy Hedgecoe reports, that can be a risky business.
PoliticsApril 25, 201703:29 min
Ägypten Ex Präsident Hosni Mubarak Kairo

Egypt's Mubarak to be released this week

The ruling comes after Egypt's top appeals court last week cleared former President Hosni Mubarak of murder charges.
Law and JusticeMarch 13, 2017
Bahrain Hauptstadt Manama

Bahrain executes three, despite protests

Bahrain has executed three Shiite men accused of involving in a 2014 bombing. Rights advocates warn of regional unrest.
PoliticsJanuary 15, 2017