Publication

Three years on from the beginnings of the Arab Spring, this article examines what brought it about and the situation in the counties it affected. In particular, the author talks about the role played by Islamist leaders in bringing about the Arab Spring; the part was played and is being played by the West, especially the US; the increasing importance in the region of the role of minorities and al-Jazira, which the author describes at the Arab heartlands; Iranian policy toward Iraq, Syria and Lebanon; and Russian and Chinese policy toward the Middle East.