One year ago, demonstrations broke out in central Tunisia at the funeral ceremony for a young fruit vendor who had died after setting fire to himself when provoked by a confrontation with local authorities. Protests quickly spread throughout Tunisia and then to Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Syria, and elsewhere. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets protesting against repressive governments and calling for economic opportunity. The Egyptian, Tunisian, and Yemeni leaders were forced to step aside, and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi was slain by rebels after a six-month civil war.
