In this paper I discuss how the events unfolding in the Arab world since early 2011, termed as the Arab Spring, are not easily understood as suggested by many western (as well as Arab) commentators and scholars. This is due, in part, to three dynamics, Orientalism, Euro-Centrism, and Modernity, that have a longer history in shaping our knowledge about the Arab world and the world at large. I will discuss these concepts and how they still have relevance in contributing to misunderstanding the so called “Arab Spring.”