Political Science professor Carmen Geha has studied political power-sharing and women's representation across the Arab region, and weighs the entrenched power elite's vested interests against the socio-economic and political dignity demands that drive the ongoing Arab protests. "Women's empowerment" efforts have especially failed to increase women in public offices, which she believes requires political parties that champion this goal. This would succeed if we are to judge by the intense and deep role of women and girls in the protests across the region.