2025/07/08 by Al-Ali, Zaid
#Arab region #Constitution drafting #Syria #Tunisia #United Nations #democratic transition #parliamentarism #peace negotiations #presidentialism #violent conflict
paper · doi:10.15781/e5ptfm30
The 2011 uprisings in the Arab region marked a significant moment in history, setting in motion the largest concentration of constitutional negotiations anywhere in the world since the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, as of June 2025, the anticipated democratic reforms have largely failed to materialize. This article examines developments since 2011 throughout the region, with particular focus on constitutional reform processes in Tunisia and Syria. Tunisia, initially a beacon of hope, has regressed into authoritarianism. Syria has only recently witnessed major changes to its constitutional framework after fifteen years of brutal conflict, in a manner that, if successful, could encourage a new generation of conflict in the region and beyond. This article also critiques the framing of the constitutional debates that took place after 2011. The article argues that the discussion on constitutional reform was a ‘wrong debate’ that mischaracterised the nature of the challenges that the region is facing. As a result, the wrong solutions were prescribed, which unsurprisingly failed to produce the desired results. The article argues that the regional debate on constitutional reform failed to address historical legacies and societal divisions that hinder progress towards democracy. The debate on constitutional reform should be deliberately reframed around how to repair the damage caused by a century of colonial and post-colonial rulers to political culture and to state institutions as an initial step to promoting democracy and stability in the Arab region.