This article is from Democracy Digest:

A decade on, the hope that the Arab spring would bring democracy to the region looks forlorn. the Economist observes. Yet it is too early to say that the Arab world and democracy cannot mix. Arabs are as keen to choose their own leaders as anyone else. What they lack are the independent institutions, from the courts to the media, essential for an engaged, informed citizenry—and for democracy to take root. RTWT

It was the beat of a butterfly’s wing that set a tsunami in motion when, on 17 December 2010, street vendor Mohammed Bouaziz set himself on fire in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid, notes analyst Claudia Mende.

To mark the occasion of a decade on since “the spark that ignited the revolution,” NED partner POMED asked nine Tunisian colleagues to respond briefly to the question, “What does this anniversary mean to you?” 

Read the full article here.