By Dr. Laura Culbertson
Faculty Member, International Relations at American Public University

It was two years ago this December when protests erupted across the Arab world following the self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi on Dec. 17, 2010. During these two years, the world witnessed the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, as well as the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen. The protests initiated a civil war in Libya that resulted in the death of Muammar Gaddafi and fueled an ongoing civil war in Syria.