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Did the Arab Spring do More Harm Than Good?

Events in Tunisia led to mass uprisings, but also increasing radicalisation. Akwasi Sarpong, Owen Bennett Jones and an expert panel discuss the impact of the Arab Spring on Africa

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Africa Debate comes ahead of the presidential elections in Tunisia on 23 November – the first regular presidential elections since the overthrow of President Ben Ali in 2010 and the adoption of a new constitution.

Those events led to mass uprisings and regime change across the region and while there is some hope for democracy in Tunisia, there are also worrying trends, with thousands of young Tunisians known to be fighting for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Meanwhile, there is also military government in Egypt, no end in sight to brutal conflict in Syria and chaos in Libya – which some analysts say has led to free flow of arms across a region which is increasingly radicalised. Join Akwasi Sarpong, Owen Bennett Jones and a panel of experts in Tunisia as they ask if the Tunisians were aware of what they were starting.

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55 minutes

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  • Fri 21 Nov 2014 19:05GMT

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