Youth in the Middle East: Nowhere to go but the street

The firestorm of events across the Middle East over the past few days can't be explained by long-term development factors: the link between politics and economic development (or lack thereof) is complex in the extreme. Still, the staggering lack of opportunities for young people, especially young entrepreneurs without political connections, is clearly an important part of the mix. That includes people like Mohamed Bouazizi, the 26-year-old whose self-immolation sparked the protests which brought down Tunisia's president, and which in turn set off the remarkable events unfolding in Egypt.

The Middle East has witnessed an incredible expansion of both youth populations and education over the past 20 years. Fully two thirds of the region's population is below 24 years old. Tertiary enrollment in Egypt has climbed from 14-28% since 1990, and in Tunisia from 8-34%. Cairo University alone has around 200,000 students. | guardian.co.uk