MEDiterranean PROspects

More than a year has passed since the start of the political uprising against the authoritarian regimes in the Arab world. But, as demonstrated by the ongoing unrest in Syria, the process is far from over.

Many politicians and experts, especially those from Central and Eastern Europe, suggest that their Arab colleagues should learn from the post-communist transition of the early 1990s. However, while learning from others’ experience is always a useful exercise, the geopolitical and socio-economic context of the Arab revolution appears to be different, argues author Marek Dabrowski, from that of former Soviet bloc countries more than twenty years ago.

Marek Dabrowski is a CASE Fellow and former President of CASE.