Social movements are always a hit or miss in any country, but for some reason, the intensity of that hit or miss is greater in the MENA region. In part, I believe that has to do with the level of oppression and strictness the people encounter with the government over their freedom of speech/press/etc., causing the groups that feel ostracized even more so when their movements don't work. However, if there were ever to be a place that social movements could thrive it would be in the MENA region due to the constant conflict between people and state. As there is no formalized setting for the people to express their concerns or demand change from the government, social movements are the best outlet.
The greatest challenge social movements would face in the region would be the lack of political participation from the people, keeping the movements from mobilizing at a productive speed. Many of the states in this region are rentier states, often leading to this political inactiveness in the people, thus causing any democratic process to move at a slow enough pace for it to be shot down by the current, non-democratic government.
It would take a large amount of momentum to get the region mobilized and for the people to become an actual force for the government to take seriously if they were to actually try for a democratic society.
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