On December 17, 2010, a Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest corruption and poor economic conditions. His death sparked mass popular protests in Tunisia that quickly carried over to other countries in the Middle East. 

Tunisia is often hailed as the success story of the Arab Spring. The protests that shook the country led to the ousting of long-time president Ben Ali in January 2011 and resulted in democratic elections. Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East program, joins Laura to discuss the country’s progress – and challenges – over the last decade.