Interview with Madawi Al-Rasheed, a Saudi Arabian academic specialised in the Arabian peninsula

They were euphoric during the first months that followed the fall of Zine Al-Abedine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak. The Arabs had regained their pride. But that pride has long since ebbed away and hope turned into disappointment. In the countries where there was a change, some even are nostalgic about the real or imagined 'good old days'. And in places where the regimes stayed intact, many are glad that their country took a different direction. Is it about an identity crisis? Class warfare? A sectarian problem? Or is it utopian to think that regular people are able to overthrow established systems and build new ones? Madawi Al-Rasheed, a Saudi Arabian academic specialised in the Arabian peninsula, sees little reason for optimism. The problems are gigantic and the road is long and difficult.