Ever since the Egyptian military deposed Egypt's first elected president in July, authoritarian rule has returned with a vengeance and despair has washed over Egypt's political class. What Remains of Tahrir Square? Is there anything left from the promising early days of the Arab uprisings, most powerfully symbolized by the pluralistic utopian community of Tahrir Square and the renaissance it ushered in?
The other most important Arab state in revolt, Syria, appears trapped between an abusive dictator and an extremist undemocratic opposition. Is there any hope for reform and for pluralistic, accountable politics? What about Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and the other Gulf states which skirted a fine line between anti-democratic domestic policies and tight cooperation with U.S. foreign policy?
TCF senior fellow Michael Wahid Hanna and Thanassis Cambanis, Century’s Beirut-based fellow, join with Princeton University’s Bernard Haykel to discuss what Egypt's journey so far can teach us about the ferment and the regional prognosis for the Arab revolts in the years to come.
Watch the event below.