Publication

This paper discusses the emergence of a number of mass protests in several Arab countries in the latter half of 2015 and contends that they may suggest a revival of the popular pressure for political change as seen in the Arab Spring. A reason for this, argues the author, is that though these protests are focused on specific social and economic demands, they fundamentally have the same objectives as the Arab Spring revolts, namely dignity, social justice and greater freedoms. He also contends that this development challenges the notion that crackdowns on protests and conflict in the region has quelled popular desire for change.