Podcasts

In recent weeks, the protests sweeping across Iraq and Lebanon have led observers of the Middle East to surmise that the region may be experiencing a second Arab Spring. Indeed, the unrest in Lebanon and Iraq comes on the heels of protests in Egypt and Jordan earlier this fall, and joins a protest movement in Algeria that has continued since February. What lies behind the latest round of social unrest? How do the protests in Iraq and Lebanon compare to one another, and to protests in North Africa? And what distinguishes the latest wave of demonstrations from the 2011 uprisings? INSS research fellows Dr. Sarah Feuer and Orit Perlov sit down to discuss the significance of the current upheaval, possible trajectories moving forward, and implications for Israel.

Some eight years after what came to be known in Israel as the regional “upheaval,” and elsewhere as “the Arab Spring,” Brig. Gen. (ret.) Itai Brun and Dr. Sarah Feuer sit down to discuss the political contours of the Middle East and North Africa today. Drawing on a recent article written with INSS Neubauer research associate Itay Haiminis, they offer a framework of competing hypotheses for understanding the current state of affairs across the region, and demonstrate the framework’s utility in assessing unfolding developments in Libya and Algeria. They close with a discussion of the policy dilemmas and choices Israel has confronted in light of the region’s unrest.

Approaching the 8th anniversary of the uprisings that swept the region in what came to be known as the “Arab Spring,” INSS research fellows Sarah Feuer and Orit Perlov sit down to take stock and review key elements of the region’s current political, security, and economic landscapes. Surveying developments in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, Feuer and Perlov highlight noteworthy trends in the arenas of women’s rights, electoral politics, and political Islam across the Middle East and North Africa. The researchers conclude by discussing some of the implications of the Arab Spring for Israel, addressing new threats and opportunities emerging from the tumult of 2011.