The Arab Spring was an incredible moment in the battle between dictators and democracy but, in his new book “The Dictator’s Learning Curve”, author William Dobson argues that the Arab Spring is just the latest front in a worldwide struggle against repression. To examine the tools dictators learn to use in order to hold onto power — and how democracy activists are developing their own tactics to win the fight — we spoke with the author, who spent over two years touring the world to trace that learning curve.
Mohamed Elshinnawi
Egyptian-American Mohamed Elshinnawi is a senior reporter at VOA. He covered the Middle East peace process from Camp David in 1978 through the 1993 Oslo Agreements to Syrian-Israeli talks in 2000. He interviewed Arab heads of state, prime ministers, foreign ministers and as well as ranking U.S. officials, including members of Congress. He hosted "Dialogue with the West," a live TV show which, broadcast via satellite from Washington, reached 35 million Arabs. He is fluent in Arabic and English.
