How Tunisia Became the Only Real Arab Spring Success Story

Safwan Masri set out with a simple question: of all the countries caught in the turmoil of the Arab Spring, how is it that Tunisia was the only country to successfully replace a long ruling despot with a more or less functioning democracy? His new book Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly takes a deep dive into that question, examining Tunisia's history, politics and, crucially some decades old educational reforms.  This is a very interesting conversation about both the Arab Spring, and Tunisia's unique experience. It is the Arab Spring success story--so far at least--and Safwan Masri helps me understand why.   Safwan Masri is Executive Vice President for Global Centers and Global Development at Columbia University.     Become a premium subscriber to unlock bonus episodes, earn other rewards, and support the show!