Communications

Most revolutions failed to bring democracy or prosperity. Instead, the turmoil was boon to the autocrats the protesters meant to depose.

“From the standpoint of those leaders, there was a deep concern coming out of the Arab Spring, that groups like the Muslim Brotherhood could capitalize on a lot of the public frustration, to seize power,” said Sarah Feuer, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, referring to Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. “I think what we've seen in the last...

The weakness of the state’s institutions reinforces the fragmentation, which in turn further weakens the institutions and their legitimacy. (From an article in Middle East Forum, by Kobi Michael and Yoel Guzansky.)