Much has changed since the Arab Spring, but somehow the region is less free than it was in 2010. It has been shaken by wars, refugees and now Covid-19. All but with the one exception of Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring which has emerged as the only country to have established democratic governance. However, 11 years from then, the people of Tunisia are on the streets protesting again, but this time they are protesting democracy itself, bringing back the question:  Is the region suited for democracy? Has the western idea of democracy failed the country? Was the Arab Spring worth it?  

Eleven years ago, on December 17^th 2010, Mohammad Bouazizi, a 26-year-old street fruit vendor in Tunisia, set himself on fire in protest after corrupt officials had confiscated his fruit cart to extort money from him, subsequent to which he died a few weeks later. Within weeks…