Egyptian anti-government bloggers work on their laptops from Cairo's Tahrir square on February 10, 2011 on the 17th day of consecutive protests calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.
Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images
Interactive
Twitter's influence on the Arab Spring
Globe and Mail Update
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Last updated
Ten years after the 9/11 attacks on America, the Arab Spring signifies an unexpected legacy of the decade of war that pit the West against al-Qaeda. The secular, democratic uprisings were a repudiation of jihadist ideology. But the revolutionaries do not want to refashion the region in America's image, rather, they are seeking to forge a new identity – a modern pan-Arab one.
The revolutions themselves have complex roots, nourished by decades long grievances ranging from economic stagnation to political repression. But the protests themselves were mobilized by a savvy group of young activists who used Twitter as a tool to both inspire and reflect the Arab street. While none consider themselves to be revolutionary leaders – many balk at the suggestion – their young voices have emerged as prominent fixtures of the uprisings.
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