Revolutionary protests in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other countries in the region over recent months have brought about the demise of a number of autocratic regimes. But is this really the beginning of what some have described as the 'Arab Spring'?

As part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival British Council Scotland is supporting two events that will look at the underlying causes and implications of these upheavals.

Revolution in the 21st century: North Africa

In the first of his guest selected series on the theme of revolution in the 21st century, BBC special correspondent and presenter Allan Little will discuss the unfolding historic events with the acclaimed Egyptian author and political commentator, Ahdaf Soueif and distinguished Libyan novelist Hisham Matar whose father was imprisoned in Libya over 20 years ago.

The event will be introduced by the British Council’s Director in Syria, Elizabeth White, who has remained in Damascus with her team throughout the unrest and blogs on our web site about maintaining cultural exchanges during this time of intense upheaval.

Revolution in the 21st century: The Future of Democracy is a Guardian sponsored debate supported by British Council Scotland. Allan Little will oversee a debate between three leading political and literary figures about how the uprisings of the Arab Spring have been characterised not by religious fervour but by calls for human rights and democracy. It will also look at whether democracies can be established as easily as the protesters might have hoped.

Our colleagues in the British Council’s network of offices in the Middle East and North Africa are exploring how social media could help take these discussions back to the region.

For more information on these events please visit the Edinburgh International Book Festival web site.