Teaching Rebels

Many observers of the current turmoil that has gripped the Arab world agree on one thing: It was largely unexpected. While currents of dissatisfaction against the incumbent strongmen have always been swirling, few foresaw that such an uprising was imminent or predicted the scale of the demonstrations. But several visible factors, related to education, demography, and the lack of economic opportunities, had been pointing for some time to an increasing degree of political instability in the region. While much of the narrative about the uprising in Egypt has been about a “youth revolution,” it seems to underplay the critical impact that the rising level of education among young Egyptians played in prompting harsh criticism of the entrenched regimes.