ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to provide a specific point of view on the interpretation of the protests that have characterized the Arab countries from December 2010 until now. This is not an empirical chapter, although it will consider some straight descriptive data to corroborate the arguments, nor is it a highly abstract theoretical chapter. The chapter provides a first understanding of some of the reasons behind the Arab Spring, offering a specific point of view through a simple argumentation explained by means of a sketchy basic model to be used as a starting point for a more complex and deep analysis, both theoretical and empirical. The chapter will also demonstrate that the results of the analysis are compatible with some basic stylized facts about the Arab Spring and, in particular, it provides a relevant and not obvious point of view. The value of this chapter is in emphasizing aspects that in popular and media discussions are often neglected, while they are crucial explanatory variables: the country's wealth and the selectorate's size.
