In watching the developments across the Middle East region, there seem to be one of two paths that nations experiencing the Arab Spring can take. Although 800 Egyptians died in revolts leading up to the removal of Hosni Mubarak’s long-standing regime, the country is now on a path toward more democratic rule. The same can’t be said for Libya, Syria or Yemen where entrenched regimes–or a solitary figure, in the case of Muammar Gadaffi–refuse to cede power.
While some call Egypt and Tunisia the shining model for the Arab Spring’s revolutions – isn’t it more accurate to see it as an exception to the rule of civil war? To answer the question we speak with Zachary Lockman, professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and History at New York University.
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