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The Cost Of Freedom: Revolutionary Hopes & Realities Among Young Tunisians A Decade Post-Arab Spring, Sanjna Selvarajan

International Affairs Senior Theses

The Arab Spring of 2011 was an incredible tale of desperation, defiance, and vast political transformations—of civil society across North Africa and the Middle East revolting against dictatorship, corruption, and demanding democracy and freedom. Tunisia gained widespread international attention following the revolutions as the sole country to attain democracy. However, many Western scholars and news reports have dismissed Tunisia’s triumph as a lucky break and lauded its attainment of democracy and, especially, its newfound freedom of expression. Such a focus on “Tunisian exceptionalism,” however, ignores the nuanced consequences that have accompanied the country’s vast political transformation.

Situated a decade post-Arab …