What the Arab Spring, Europe Protests Have in Common

19 August 2011

Thousands of Egyptians protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square in April. The crowds were demanding the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak.

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Experts say political unrest in the Arab World and protests in Europe have more in common than it may seem.

(SOUND)

The "Arab Spring" pro-democracy movement began in Tunisia. Protests forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to resign in January.

(SOUND)

A short time later, protests in Egypt forced out President Hosni Mubarak, another longtime Arab leader.

Mary Kaldor was part of the opposition movement in Hungary during the Cold War. She is now a professor of global governance at the London School of Economics.

MARY KALDOR: "People assumed that somehow the Middle East was different and that was based on assumptions that somehow Islam is different -- 'It’s not like us.' And that was an assumption that underpinned the war on terror, too. And I think what’s so wonderful about the Arab Spring is that it’s disproving that assumption. It’s showing that Arabs are just as democratic as everyone else."

As the Arab Spring grew, protests also began in parts of Europe.

(SOUND)

In Athens, thousands protested cuts in government spending and other budget reforms. Protesters occupied Syntagma Square outside Greece’s Parliament. Professor Kaldor says the anger was similar to what the Arab demonstrators felt.