The Arab Spring of 2011 resulted in widespread uprisings against harsh autocratic governments in various Arab countries and struggles for citizens' political rights and civil liberties. He underlined the importance for the people of these regions, and the world, that political tensions are resolved in accordance with international norms. The Arab Spring inspired people around the world, encouraging many to stand up to their autocratic rulers. An important achievement of the Arab Spring is that it mobilized the public as activists for positive change. Social media played an extremely important role in the Arab Spring, creating awareness among other Arab countries and in the United States. For example, in January 2011, Tunisia experienced the “Jasmine Revolution” which ended the authoritarian regime of former president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. It sparked activism for political change in many parts of the Arab world. Currently, civil and political liberties have expanded and Tunisia has experienced much less violence than other transition countries, as evidenced by data findings. However, the use of social media has led autocratic governments to suppress citizens' civil liberties even more than before the spring. The effects of the Spring also led Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign in 2011, following 18 days of protests and harsh government repression that caused more than 800 deaths (Freedom House). Unfortunately, Syria's autocratic president, Bashar Hafez al-Assad, remains in power and exercises tight control over both civil liberties and political rights. Despite their success, the Syrian people continued to try to defend their human rights... middle of paper... outrageous acts against the public. There are also similarities in how various regimes have claimed to deal with the uprisings. I have found that most governments shut down communication methods in an attempt to suppress publicity of the problem. There were some common challenges that the countries faced during these uprisings. Besides Tunisia, most of the challenges faced during the uprisings have been attributed to religious divisions (Egypt, Syria and Bahrain) or tribal lines (Yemen and Libya). This in turn has given autocratic governments the opportunity to divide and weaken the public. However, the fight against various autocratic governments also brought together many divided groups with their common goal of revolution. Another challenge being faced is the ouster of autocratic governments through military coups, as demonstrated by Egypt and Tunisia