ABSTRACT
Progressive liberalism and legitimate government The 2011 Arab Spring was a historic turning point that led to the sudden collapse of multiple Middle Eastern and North African autocratic republics. Between 2011 and 2015, six Arab presidents in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, and Libya were forced out of office by mass protests or military takeovers. Governments in almost every Arab state have been reestablished or reorganized, some even formulating new electoral systems and inaugurating new prime ministers. In countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Jordan, and Morocco, governments introduced new constitutions and major legislative amendments. These changes, complemented with promises of representative and democratically elected governments in the Arab world, have created a wave of newly founded anti-authoritarian public sentiments. The promises of a post-Soviet era of globalization have inspired the idealism of an emerging generation of Arab youth demanding a free and democratic Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
