What Future for the Arab World?

Just three years ago, the Arab Spring bloomed across North Africa and the Middle East.

Then the powers that had backed the old regimes, the military, the intelligence services, and the wealthy, struck back. In short order, the counter-revolutions practically swept the table.

At the same time, new waves of radical violence were unleashed – perhaps opportunistically or perhaps deliberately – in order to create conditions that would justify a renewal of the so-called ‘War On Terror’.

Some of the violence arrived cloaked in the robes of religion, some of it was tribal and ethnic, and some of it was just plain criminal. In the midst of poverty, they had unlimited funds for weapons. Borders have collapsed. Nations are fragmenting.

The dictators held elections for themselves. They won with 80 and 90 percent of the votes. Much of the world reacted as if this actually legitimized them.

Empire travels to North Africa and the Middle East to hear local and regional voices. We ask if the recent elections in Egypt and Syria constitute democracy. Is the so-called ‘War on Terror’ merely a mask for repression? And what is the future of political Islam?

Seventy percent of the Arab world is under 30. We spoke to young people from across the region, and asked what the future holds for the Arab Spring states.

Their answers surprised us. We think they will surprise you too.