Concerning the Arab Spring: Erosion of the Social Contract

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The Arab Spring has not left the imagination of the Middle East since the eruption of the uprisings in 2010. Developments tied to that event are still unfolding to this day. This report brings forward what popular wisdom has expressed regarding the causes of these events. It will address a few underlying economic and political causes that inspired consensus amongst academic and journalistic thinkers. The erosion of the social contract brought forward in the post-independence years is a primary example this report puts much emphasis on. It also mentions the different possible aspects which have contributed to the demise of said social contract. All the way from cronyism to corruption and mismanagement as well as a population explosion which exasperated the compiling social pressures. Additionally, this report mentions a few more purely economic theories that have sought to explain the Arab Spring. The main examples of which are misconceptions regarding inequality as well as rising global food prices.