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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Whatever Happened to the "Arab Spring?"

    Three years ago, it appeared that anti-government uprisings might lead to the spread of democracy in the Middle East. Now it appears that the democratic process is being used to sustain the power of dictatorships.

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    By Warren Olney • Jun 2, 2014 • 1 min read

    Three years ago, it appeared that anti-government uprisings might lead to the spread of democracy in the Middle East. Now it appears that the democratic process is being used to sustain the power of dictatorships. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is staging a re-election campaign after destroying major cities, killing more than 160,000 people and driving millions of refugees to other countries. But many of those refugees are voting to re-elect him. Is tyrannical order the only alternative to chaos and the spread of terror? Egypt's former general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi overthrew an elected government, outlawed political opposition and staged his presidential election. Is another military dictatorship preferable to the Muslim Brotherhood? With the collapse of the so-called "freedom agenda," we look at the options for US influence in the Middle East.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Syria, Egypt and Fading Hope of a Post-Arab Spring Democracy
    1. 0:00Obama Unveils Strict New Rules on Carbon Emissions
    2. 8:09Whatever Happened to the "Arab Spring?"You’re reading this
    3. 43:06Flurry of Questions about Bergdahl Release
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Caitlin Shamberg

      KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Mike Kessler

      freelance journalist

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Joshua Landis

      University of Oklahoma

    • KCRW placeholder

      Aryn Baker

      Time

    • KCRW placeholder

      Marc Lynch

      George Washington University

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Syria, Egypt and Fading Hope of a Post-Arab Spring Democracy
    1. 0:00Obama Unveils Strict New Rules on Carbon Emissions
    2. 8:09Whatever Happened to the "Arab Spring?"You’re reading this
    3. 43:06Flurry of Questions about Bergdahl Release
    Back to To the Point