My take on the Arab Spring was much harsher. It felt like the war of choice the US embarked in Iraq left the rest of the world dismayed. Even Arabs that THOUGHT the US invasion might help them were left dumbfounded by what actually happened. Many many people in the MidEast lost ALL faith in the US as the shining city on the hill, the redeemer, the world policeman. They realized their freedom and liberty were in their own hands and that they could not look to DC for support any longer. The mighty superpower had proven itself to have feet of clay and a heart of stone.