Ahmed Maher

Arab Spring: Hope, Then Upheaval, Then What?

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Darin Johnson, Ahmed Maher, William McCants, Karen Elliott House

Experts and officials analyze the friction between US core interests in the Middle East and the region's complex realities, including a demographic youth bulge and the divergent approaches to democracy versus Sharia law. The discussion details how these dynamics are driving instability in Egypt and Syria, where fractured rebel groups and external funding from Gulf states have prolonged conflicts while Salafi groups pragmatically enter politics despite ideological contradictions. Panelists conclude that US policy should shift from supporting specific regimes to fostering human rights and economic alternatives to counter terrorism and prevent the rise of extremist networks.