The Fourth Wave: Revolution and Democratization in the Arab Middle East (Essay‪)‬

This Special Issue on Arab women, the first of two issues, is timely in that it comes amid a wave of radical changes sweeping the Arab world. Arab women have always been active participants in the socio-economic and political affairs of the Middle East and the Islamic world, and are key in shaping the present and the future of the region. When the idea of devoting a Special Issue to Arab Women was conceived a year ago, clearly the momentous social movements sweeping the region today were clearly not visible to the public. Nevertheless, democratic struggle has never been alien to the region. Since World War II, several democratic waves have swept the globe, but the Arab world seemed to be immune to them. While the Arab people managed to liberate themselves from seven hundred years of foreign rule, they lagged far behind in liberating themselves from domestic tyranny.