Austin Community College (ACC) will present a discussion on the emergence of the Arab Spring and its impact on democracy development and human rights in countries from Tunisia to Syria.

The presentation, part of the college’s global issues speaker series, is Wednesday, June 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Eastview Campus, Room 8500 (3401 Webberville Rd.).

ACC Government Professor Roy Casagranda will discuss the events of the Arab Spring which emerged as a civil society challenge to democratize authoritarian regimes in a number of Muslim countries.

“It has transformed, informed, and inspired other civil society efforts from Burma to Spain to Occupy Wall Street to Hong Kong to promote democracy and human rights, and yet it remains poorly understood as both a profound success and a heart breaking failure,” Casagranda says. “We invite students and the community to explore the democratic aspirations of the Arab World and the imprint that it has left on tyranny around the world.”

Presented by ACC’s International Programs Office, the event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact William Hayden, International Programs director, at 512-223-7114 or email [email protected].

Tags: Arab Spring, democracy, discussion, Eastview Campus, global issues speakers series, International Programs Office, Roy Casagranda, William Hayden