“On the tenth anniversary of the Arab Spring, the results from the perspective of Western democracies are mostly negative. But what criteria is this analysis based on? Couldn’t a democracy-theoretical approach also lead to other findings? This article will also discuss other theories that contribute to an understanding of the current crises. The approach of system transformation, or rather transformation theory, points to deeper socio-economic and cultural contexts: According to this, there have already been consecutive processes of transformation or reform in economy and politics in the Arab world in the early 1990s. 

One approach that indeed predicted the Arab Spring was modernisation theory. Its marginalisation in the further discourse Is incomprehensible, as it can explain quite simple but important interrelationships. For example, the strengthening of women’s rights in Tunisia was the engine of social progress and a trigger for the revolution. Finally, the interdependence theory helps to assess the Arab Spring in the context of international politics. Accordingly, it was not only an expression of domestic developments; ; instead, external actors bear a joint responsibility for today’s results. This ultimately leads to a reassessment of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). …”