Opinion of Arab Spring?

[Middle-aged Europe]

Just because it failed (for now) it doesn't mean that it wasn't a worthwhile effort in the right direction.

Some countries' or regions' histories don't follow the relatively linear path of the U.S. or the U.K. - Sometimes it is a messy, bloody, long-winded struggle towards a better future with many setbacks in between. See France post-1789... or Germany 1848-1990. I see the Arab Spring as a first step, one that can be built upon despite everything. Considering that the root causes of the first Arab Spring have neither been adressed nor eliminited there's a fair chance that there could be a second, or third, one eventually.