The world will remember 2011 as the year of the “Arab Spring” when people in North Africa rose up against political oppression, social inequality and a lack of economic opportunity. The revolts against autocratic regimes have empowered democratically-elected Islamist governments and parliaments in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. These new governments must now tackle the root causes of the revolutions to appease legitimate, but high expectations in the short run, while providing citizens with a real democratic alternative in the long run.