Submitted by: Kurt J Fitsch
A View from the Arab Spring, towards the Following Summer
Prof. Haim Harari, The Weizmann Institute International Policy Forum, November 01, 2011
Arab world. It relates not only to the awakening of anger and to the desire for change by the
Arab masses, but also to the lack of understanding of the circumstances, by most European
and American observers. Winter in New York, London or Berlin is often accompanied by a
mild depression. It is a period when nothing blooms, very little remains green, sunshine is
rare and most birds are gone. And then comes the spring, when everything begins to blossom,
warmth returns, birds are chirping and life restarts. Alas, in most of the Arab world, winter is
a pleasant period relative to what comes next. The winter temperature is quite comfortable
and the sun often shines. When spring arrives, the heat returns, heralding an unbearable
summer, without one drop of water and a harsh and dry brown-yellow land. The little that
was partly green, during the winter, is gone. Indeed, “The Arab Spring” inevitably leads to a
difficult and unpleasant summer. The metaphor reflects not only what it purports to describe,
but also the mentality gap between its Western authors and the real situation.
