Tunisia, Egypt, and the Middle East uprisings

Timeline (from Saudi News today)

Outline map of Middle East

Discussion Topics

Where did it all start? 

Dec. 17, 2010 TUNISIA: Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor in the central town of Sidi Bouzid, sets himself on fire to protest the confiscation of his wares and humiliation inflicted on him by a municipal official, sparking a revolt against Ben Ali.

Compare Egypt's mostly peaceful uprising (mostly stone throwing) with fighting in Libya

What role is/should the military play?  compare Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, etc.

Religious conflicts?

But what the pro-democracy movement in Tahrir was very proud of was that they stuck together. You would see, when—especially after the attack by the baltaguia on Wednesday, anytime there was prayer, a lot of the Copts would protect the perimeter while Muslims prayed. They would always chant, "Muslim, Christian, we’re all Egyptian." You would see people marching with—holding a Quran and one holding a Bible, marching together. And so, they believe and many believe that this divide was something that was caused by the repression of Mubarak’s government, was fomented. -- Sharif Abdel Kouddous