Who Should Be TIME's Person of the Year 2011?

From the southern coast of the Mediterranean to the shores of the Persian Gulf, Arab youth challenged decades-old authoritarian regimes and proved to older generations that real change — sweeping and momentous — was possible. They braved bullets and beatings and massed in public squares day after day; in Tunisia and Egypt, dictatorships simply imploded, while embattled rulers in Syria and Yemen have done all they can to keep their grip on power. The youth's courage — as well as their online savvy — has inspired young activists in Europe and the U.S. who are also rallying against the prevailing political and economic status quo. Now that they have demonstrated their power, the rebellious Arab youth will have to struggle hard in the coming months and years to preserve the gains of their revolutions.