Jose Maria Aznar

From his unique perspective as Spain’s prime minister from 1996 to 2004, José María Aznar explores how, over the past year, the promise and great expectations of “the Arab Spring” have turned into a new and less optimistic reality—“the Arab Winter.” Aznar shares with his audiences his concerns for the future of the region and the interests of the West. He looks at the long neglect of pro-Western groups in North Africa and the Gulf as the West sought to avoid friction with existing rulers, creating contradictory political and military strategies among those nations. The formulation of “an approach that is not shortsighted or naïve” is, he believes, essential—that if the West applauds everything, it will fail to establish positive relations with emerging regimes.