| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The Arab Spring was triggered by the self-immolation of a Tunisian salesman leading to protests by ordinary people empathising with the salesman and demanding bread, jobs and a change in the lives of the youth. With the expansion of the movement to include internal and external political opposition, and in response to the hard-line tactics of beleaguered leaders, the focus of the uprising became a clarion call for leadership changes. However, two years after the start of these uprisings, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya are still in a state of crisis, even though new leaders have been elected into power. Thus, to contribute to the early detection of similar uprisings, their prevention and resolution, this article refocuses discourse and policy decisions about the Arab Spring back to the original demands of the protestors and to its root causes, namely the demand for improved lives. This will be done by analysing the life, death and memorial of the father of the Arab Spring: Mohamed Bouazizi.
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