SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: New York Times - Arab Spring, Again? Nervous Autocrats Look Out Windows as Crowds Swell

8/4/19: New York Times - Arab Spring, Again? Nervous Autocrats Look Out Windows as Crowds Swell, by David D. Kirkpatrick

 David D. Kirkpatrick’s feature piece examines lessons learned from the Arab Spring.

 Kirkpatrick contrasts regional autocrats’ attempt to “drive home the moral that popular revolutions lead only to bedlam,” with Sudanese and Algerian protestors learning that non-violent protests in large enough numbers can “oust even the most deeply entrenched dictator.”

 Kirkpatrick highlights claims that Sudanese and Algerian military leaders are adopting the tactics of their Egyptian counterparts in co-opting and then crushing the revolution, although Sudanese activist Amjed Farid argued that Sudan’s history of revolutions and coups leaves the opposition better prepared for negotiations with the military.