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In many countries, it does work, and continues with some regularity: 2011: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring

• lostlogin 9mo ago
  The example of Ukraine is complicated, and that situation has become a nightmare With what followed - though in fairness to the Ukrainians, the west could have done a hell of a lot more, and still could. The Arab Spring turned into The Arab Winter in a wave of repression. Some good has come out of it but the link you have provided says this: Although the long-term effects of the Arab Spring have yet to be shown, its short-term consequences varied greatly across the Middle East and North Africa. In Tunisia and Egypt, where the existing regimes were ousted and replaced through a process of free and fair election, the revolutions were considered short-term successes.[337][338][339] This interpretation is, however, problematized by the subsequent political turmoil that emerged in Egypt and the autocracy that has formed in Tunisia. Elsewhere, most notably in the monarchies of Morocco and the Persian Gulf, existing regimes co-opted the Arab Spring movement and managed to maintain order without significant social change.[340][341] In other countries, particularly Syria and Libya, the apparent result of Arab Spring protests was a complete societal collapse.[337]
  • EGreg 9mo ago
    Yes. I am definitely no fan of regime change through revolution. It has an extremely bloody track record. I am just pointing out that nonviolent protests usually get it done, especially after crackdowns.
  • mcmoor 9mo ago
    It's always ironic seeing Arab Spring in hindsight. I've seen western observers celebrating Arab countries society upheaval, when the very same thing will also happen to them in less than 10 years.
  • techcode 9mo ago
    The tring that Ukraine and Arab Spring have in common - is that same folks that managed to bring Milošević down in Serbia (known as Resistance/Otpor), later went on to talk/teach protestors in Ukraine, Egypt ...etc. Check out #Post Milošević; and #Legacy; sections on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otpor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otpor (couldn't figure out how to get deeplinks on mobile). TL;DR: Besides Ukraine and Egypt, they went to a few more places, in some it worked, in others it didn't. And there were revelations of foreign (e.g. USAID) funding.
• torginus 9mo ago
  I think the article talks about nonviolent protests - the first two were anything but. The Slovakian incident worked, because Slovakia has a working representative democracy. In a deeply flawed, or downright nondemocratic system, like Serbia or Georgia, it's very hard to drive change through nonviolent protests. It also bears mentioning, that the key issue with protesting, is that it, legally speaking does nothing. Legal representatives are under no obligation to do anything in response to protests.
  • vkou 9mo ago
    It in itself does nothing, but it is necessary to embolden anyone who can do something. If nobody protests, people who have the choice to do something will see that nobody gives a shit... And why should they stick their necks out for a cause that nobody gives a shit about?