New Delhi, Jan. 12 -- When the Arab Spring erupted in 2010, it was not just a wave of protests; it swept from Tunisia to Egypt, from Libya to Yemen. Ordinary people armed with little more than conviction stood against authoritarian regimes, demanding bread, freedom, and social justice. Beneath this cry for democracy lay deep-rooted economic and cultural fractures. Decades of wealth inequality had created vast divides between ruling elites and struggling citizens, where oil wealth and state privilege remained concentrated in few hands while millions faced joblessness and rising food prices.

The United Nations Development Programme had noted that in the years before 2010, unemployment among Arab youth exceeded 25 percent, one of the highes...