Why current Middle East protests aren’t Arab Spring 2.0
CGTN
As the protests in Lebanon and Iraq not only grow bigger but also claim significant victories – including the recent resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri – there has been speculation that a new Arab Spring may be on the horizon. Is that the case and what are the prospects for the protest movements in both countries as well as the wider region?
The short answer as to whether the current upheaval is an Arab Spring 2.0 is no. The longer answer requires a bit more explanation. Namely that the current wave of regional protest is linked to the earlier ones which began in 2011. Although some of the protest movements were contained and suppressed in some part of the region back then, the issues and sentiments which drove people onto the streets eight years ago are still present today. Indeed, they never went away.
