It is naive to assume that the Arab people in face of setbacks have retreated from their democratic aspirations.
![In the waning days of 2013, the harsh tenets of neoliberalism seemed to be gaining ground [Reuters]](https://aljazeeranews.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014127163821734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)

Seif Dana is Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. He is also associate editor of the Arab Studies Quarterly, contributes to Al-Akhbar Arabic and English, and Al Ahram Weekly.
It is naive to assume that the Arab people in face of setbacks have retreated from their democratic aspirations.
![In the waning days of 2013, the harsh tenets of neoliberalism seemed to be gaining ground [Reuters]](https://aljazeeranews.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014127163821734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
The seeds of the current troubled Middle Eastern scene were sown in the June 1967 war that Israel started.

The deal is a building block to resolve Middle East conflicts should Iran’s opponents abandon zero-sum game approach.

The lesson learnt from the Syrian crisis four years on is that all regional events are interconnected.
