June 30th, 2011
11:33 AM ET

Explaining the Arab unrest

[Updated October 20, 2011] In January, protesters in Tunisia forced out longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a popular revolt that triggered unrest across North Africa and the Middle East.

In some countries, demonstrators have forced their governments to enact reforms. In others, brute force has met the protests.

CNN.com’s interactive map highlights differences among the countries, offering an overview of the region and the major changes that have taken place since beginning of the year.

Note that the categories and the countries within them could change as events develop.

Post-revolution

Countries: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia

In these countries, leaders and their governments have been deposed.

Sustained violence

Countries: Bahrain, Syria, Yemen

The governments of Bahrain, Syria and Yemen have taken aggressive steps to quell unrest.

There has been sporadic violence in other countries, but it has been a consistent problem in these three, often resulting in deaths.

Protests

Countries: Algeria, Djibouti, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia

There have been anti-government protests in all these countries following the Tunisian revolution in January.

In some protests, there have been occasional reports of violence, but nothing as consistent or as deadly as those in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen.

In countries such as Jordan and Morocco, the governments have proposed reforms.

 Post by:
Filed under: Arab unrest: developments • Middle East • World
soundoff (24 Responses)
  1. Robot

    WAIT - WHERE IS THE MAP OF U.S.A. / BETTER SAID NORTH AMERICA - MEXICO SHOULD BE A COMBINATION OF ALL THREE COLORS AND THE U.S.A. WITH TWO COLORS; "POST REVOLUTION" NOT YET INCLUDED..... IT AMAZES ME HOW; WE AMERICANS (GENERALLY SPEAKING) ARE SO BLIND TO SEE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS MADE UP OF SPECIAL INTEREST / MILITARTY COMPLEX PERSONNEL / BULLIES AND INSTIGATORS OF "Unrest in the Arab World" -– AND HISTORY STORIES ARE ALL WRITTEN WITH MYTHICAL ENDINGS..

    December 9, 2011 at 4:45 am | Report abuse |
  2. REVISE YOUR MAP, for goodness sake!

    I look at CNN's map of the Arab unrest.
    What the heck is Egypt doing in yellow? -allegedly "Post-Revolution." Who are you kidding?
    What is CNN smoking and where can I get some?

    Egypt is still very much in the throes of revolution,
    and so should be in the RED -at the very least caramel-colored
    but to have it show in yellow, loses the map's credibility!
    Your map is a JOKE

    December 20, 2011 at 6:27 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Unreported Unrest

    This map does not include SUDAN's revelation which was crushed quickly by the regime. The punishment was so severe; all protestors were rounded up and placed on indefinite detention. The protesters mothers held vigil for weeks before their children were released to them. Now I agree with @ROBOT who states this Map is not accurate, the report is not accurate, and it should be fixed by accurate reporting or it should be removed.

    February 10, 2012 at 10:24 am | Report abuse |
  4. dag

    who cares, its like the mafia, let them knock themselves out

    February 11, 2012 at 7:10 am | Report abuse |
  5. dag

    and by the way UNITED STATES, fix your own yard before getting into everyone elses

    February 11, 2012 at 7:14 am | Report abuse |
  6. tony

    mexico and the usa should also be colored in two colors

    February 21, 2012 at 8:23 am | Report abuse |
1 2
« Back to main