Paul Aarts

Paul Aarts is senior lecturer in international relations at the University of Amsterdam. He published on the Arab Spring, civil society in Iran and Syria, and more particularly about Saudi Arabia. His latest publication, co-authored by Carolien Roelants, is 'Saudi Arabia. A Kingdom in Peril' (Hurst, 2015).

The political economy of the Arab Spring: searching for the virtuous circle

No matter how tragic the short and medium-term consequences of some of the uprisings, their outbreak might eventually lead the Arab world to enter steadily the trajectory to democracy and good governance.

By Paul Aarts and Samir Makdisi

/ 28 Jul 2016