1. A revolutionary wave? : What is the Arab world? ; How homogeneous is the Arab world? ; Why do Arabs identify with one another? ; What was political life in the Arab world like on the eve of the uprisings? ; Why have authoritarian governments been so common in the Arab world? ; What was the state of the economy in the Arab world on the eve of the uprisings? ; What benefits did Arab regimes originally promise their populations? ; Why and how did Arab regimes renege on the promises they had made to their populations? ; How did the demography of the Arab states make them vulnerable to uprisings? ; How did a food crisis make Arab states vulnerable to uprisings? ; Why did populations wanting change in the Arab world have to take to the streets? ; Can we pinpoint the factors that caused the uprisings? ; What was the spark that ignited the Arab uprisings? ; Where did the demands for democracy and human rights come from? ; How appropriate is the word "wave" to describe the spread of protests throughout the Arab world? ; Where did the phrase "Arab Spring" come from, and how appropriate is it to describe events in the Arab world?

2. The beginning: Tunisia and Egypt : What characteristics do Tunisia and Egypt hold in common? ; How entrenched were the autocracies ruling Tunisia and Egypt? ; Were there political parties in Tunisia and Egypt? ; How did the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt attempt to control their populations? ; How widespread was corruption in Tunisia and Egypt? ; How did the Tunisian uprising play out? ; Was the uprising in Egypt like that of Tunisia? ; What did protest leaders in Egypt learn from earlier protests there? ; Why was one of the groups that organized the January 25 protests called "We are all Khaled Said"? ; What was the role of social media in the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings? ; Who led the Egyptian uprising in Cairo ; Why did the Tahir Square protesters and others adopt the tactic of nonviolent resistance? ; What was the role of labor in the two uprisings? ; What was the role of Islamic groups in the two uprisings? ; Why did the armies in Tunisia and Egypt refuse to put down the uprisings? ; What changes did the uprising in Tunisia bring about? ; What changes did the uprising in Egypt bring about? ; What are the ten greatest myths about the Egyptian uprising?

3. Uprisings in weak states: Yemen and Libya : What did the political systems of Yemen and Libya have in common before the uprisings? ; What was political life in Yemen like before the uprising there? ; What was political life in Libya like before the uprising there? ; Why do political scientists consider Yemen and Libya "weak states"? ; Why is the fact that Yemen and Libya are weak states important for understanding the uprisings there? ; What role have tribes played in Yemen and Libya? ; How did the uprising in Yemen evolve? ; How did the uprising in Libya begin? ; Was Qaddafi crazy, or crazy like a fox? ; Why did the uprisings in Yemen and Libya turn violent? ; Who were the "rebels" in Libya? ; Why did outside powers intervene directly in Libya and not in Yemen? ; What is "R2P"? ; Why is al-Qaeda in Yeman? ; What are the fissures in Yemen and Libya that might divide them in the future?

4. Two surprises: Algeria and Syria : Why did events in Algeria and Syria surprise most experts? ; Why did observers believe that after Tunisia, Algeria would be next? ; What were the Algerian protests of early 2011 like? ; Why did the results of the uprising in Algeria differ from those in Tunisia and Egypt? ; Did Algeria ever experience a pro-democracy uprising? ; Why was the Syrian uprising a surprise? ; How did the uprising in Syria begin? ; How has the Syrian regime responded to the uprising? ; What made the Syrian regime vulnerable? ; What made the Syrian regime so resilient? ; Who is the opposition to Syria? ; Why have foreign powers treated Bashar al-Assad with kid gloves? ; What would happen to the Syrian alliance with Iran should Bashar al-Assad's regime fall?

5. The monarchies : Why are there so many monarchies in the Arab world? ; Why did Morocco retain its king? ; How did the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan come to be? ; What was the origin of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? ; What was the British role in creating Gulf monarchies? ; Why have so many monarchies in the Arab world endured? ; How has oil affected the stability of Arab monarchies? ; How have ethnic and sectarian divisions affected the stability of Arab monarchies? ; Does monarchical rule inhibit development of political institutions? ; What were the demands of protesters in the Arab monarchies? ; Who were the protesters in the Arab monarchies? ; How did Arab monarchs react to protests? ; How did the uprising in Bahrain differ from uprisings in other monarchies? ; How have the uprisings transformed the Gulf Cooperation Council? ; What might Bahrain's experience with a "national dialogue" tell us about future national dialogues in the Arab world?

6. Stepping back : Was George W. Bush right? ; How did the United States come up with its policy toward the uprisings? ; Whatever happened to Iraq? ; Have the uprisings strengthened or weakened al-Qaeda? ; What was the state of the Israel-Palestine conflict at the time of the first uprisings? ; What effects have the uprisings had on the Israel-Palestine conflict so far? ; How has Iran greeted the uprisings? ; What can history tell us about "revolutionary waves"? ; When will we be able to judge the significance of the Arab uprisings? ; What conclusions might we draw from the uprisings so far?