Hi everyone!
After a year now of violent unrest and protests--with the exception of Tunisia--how much has really changed?
Despite the overthrow of the Mubarak regime in Egypt and recent parliamentary elections that more-or-less went off without a hitch, the ruling military council (which was originally intended as a transitional thing) is still pretty firmly entrenched while protests continue, the economy free-falls, and the country is rife with rumors about an increase in the price of fuel beyond the affordability of the average Egyptian citizen, 40 percent of whom live beneath the poverty line.
Over in Syria, the Arab League observer mission is in shambles with less than a week to go as dozens of protesters continue to be killed, wounded, or disappeared. Bashar announced an amnesty yesterday for so-called criminals of the protest movement, meaning army deserters and any protester caught in possession of illegal arms or violation of laws governing peaceful protests. This is the fourth such amnesty, following similar announcements in May, June, and November. No one on the ground takes this seriously.
King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain paid further lip service to Bahraini protesters by saying that his government will be held under greater scrutiny by Parliament; however, Parliament will still be unable to dismiss government officials--usually members of the royal family or their sycophants--it deems unworthy of holding government office. This, protesters say, falls far short of what they are actually demanding--the institution of a full constitutional monarchy.
Meanwhile, in Tunisia, there were reports last week that there has been a five-fold increase in the number of self-immolations timed for the one-year anniversary of the birth of democracy and the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi, the young street vendor whose death ignited the Arab world. According to the BBC, these are mostly poor unemployed young men who have become disillusioned by the continued lack of jobs and government aid despite the installation of democracy.
So I repeat my question: How much has really changed?
I realize of course that in the grand scheme of history, one year is a relatively short period of time. And taking this into consideration, the sweep of the Arab Spring remains impressive. But when all is said and done, what is the true extent of these improvements? For the first time in decades, Egyptians were allowed to vote in free and fair parliamentary elections, though it remains to be seen whether the ruling military council will actually allow the new parliament to draft a constitution and become a truly democratic and functioning government. If the generals don't step down, more bloodshed on the streets of Cairo is pretty much a guarantee. Syria is a mess any way you look at it and heading toward a bloody sectarian war, if it isn't there already. How is this an improvement? And as evidenced by the continued public suicides of unemployed Tunisians, have changes in the government really translated yet to reforms on the street?
At this point, I suppose, there aren't any real answers. We can only wait, watch, and see. Still, it would be a shame if for the millions of people across the Arab world, democracy remains little more than an elusive myth.
Ciao.
Showing posts with label Mohammed Bouazizi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mohammed Bouazizi. Show all posts
Monday, January 16, 2012
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Arab Spring
Hi everyone!
So Syria's President Bashir al-Assad gave an interview with the Western media today defending his response to Syria's prolonged and increasingly bloody civic uprising. He essentially said that he was doing no more than what any government leader would do--specifically the U.S.--as a means of putting down national dissent. This is rich coming from the leader of a country that has at least a half-century history of ruthlessly cracking down on anyone who dares speak out against The Establishment which now finds itself on increasingly shaky territory in a region that has been rocked by unprecedented anti-government turmoil for the last year.
Like many of us, I have followed the so-called Arab Spring with interest though I admit after the initial euphoric months in Tunisia and Egypt I haven't paid as much attention to it as perhaps I should. The civil war in Libya culminating in the death of Moammar Qadaffi was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back for me. It is great that the long-oppressed people in these countries were finally acting out against their oppressors, but the question that kept coming to mind was: "Okay, what now? What plan do these rebel factions have for peacefully instituting a government to replace the one they've overthrown?" It just seemed to me that violence was merely begetting more violence. I believe that while democratic reforms are necessary, I think it is unreasonable and even irresponsible to expect that a region with little to no experience with democracy can be expected to change itself overnight.
I also find the West's response to the Arab Spring interesting in and of itself. In the past week, Egypt has implemented--successfully by most accounts--the first of a three-phase wave of parliamentary elections unlike any the country has ever experienced. This is terrific. However, we must be prepared to deal with the fact that when you give the people a democratic vote, you need to accept whom they vote into office even as the new government may not necessarily fall in line with what you hope to be the final outcome. There is concern being expressed in the media that Egypt's new parliament is weighted too heavily in favor of the Islamists, with the Moslem Brotherhood and the Salafist parties taking the most seats in Egypt's new government. If this is what the Egyptian people want, who are we in the West to say that this is not acceptable? I realize that it calls into question some of the alliances and treaties the U.S. has helped to broker over the years, chiefly the Egyptian-Israeli peace accords, but perhaps it's time for the U.S. and other Western governments to take a step back and focus more on the social and economic problems plaguing our own countries before criticizing or condemning others?
In my quest to learn more about the socioeconomic and political history of the modern Middle East, I came across a recently published book by respected Middle East correspondent and Washington Post columnist Robin Wright. "Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World" (Simon & Schuster, 2011) does an insightful and eminently readable job of introducing readers to the roots of the current unrest. In the book's first couple of chapters, Ms. Wright focuses on how the Arab Spring started--with the self-immolation of a young Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi after being accosted by a female Tunisian city inspector who claimed Mr. Bouazizi was operating without a license. Because he was poor, Mr. Bouazizi did not have the seven dollars needed to bribe the official to remain in business. He was humiliated, his livelihood was taken away from him, he didn't know what else to do. So he set himself on fire and this shocking image was soon spread virally through Facebook and YouTube throughout the Middle East. When people feel they do not have a voice, they understandably resort to extreme measures.
While I've only read the first three chapters of Ms. Wright's book so far, I urge everyone and anyone with an interest in learning more about the Arab Spring and its subsequent protest movements to pick up a copy of the book and get educated. By focusing on the plight of the common man and woman and the everyday average citizen, "Rock the Casbah" quickly gets to the root of the issue in a narrative that is compelling and reflective.
Ciao.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: "What responsibility--if any--does the West have in influencing the spread of democracy in the Middle East?"
So Syria's President Bashir al-Assad gave an interview with the Western media today defending his response to Syria's prolonged and increasingly bloody civic uprising. He essentially said that he was doing no more than what any government leader would do--specifically the U.S.--as a means of putting down national dissent. This is rich coming from the leader of a country that has at least a half-century history of ruthlessly cracking down on anyone who dares speak out against The Establishment which now finds itself on increasingly shaky territory in a region that has been rocked by unprecedented anti-government turmoil for the last year.
Like many of us, I have followed the so-called Arab Spring with interest though I admit after the initial euphoric months in Tunisia and Egypt I haven't paid as much attention to it as perhaps I should. The civil war in Libya culminating in the death of Moammar Qadaffi was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back for me. It is great that the long-oppressed people in these countries were finally acting out against their oppressors, but the question that kept coming to mind was: "Okay, what now? What plan do these rebel factions have for peacefully instituting a government to replace the one they've overthrown?" It just seemed to me that violence was merely begetting more violence. I believe that while democratic reforms are necessary, I think it is unreasonable and even irresponsible to expect that a region with little to no experience with democracy can be expected to change itself overnight.
I also find the West's response to the Arab Spring interesting in and of itself. In the past week, Egypt has implemented--successfully by most accounts--the first of a three-phase wave of parliamentary elections unlike any the country has ever experienced. This is terrific. However, we must be prepared to deal with the fact that when you give the people a democratic vote, you need to accept whom they vote into office even as the new government may not necessarily fall in line with what you hope to be the final outcome. There is concern being expressed in the media that Egypt's new parliament is weighted too heavily in favor of the Islamists, with the Moslem Brotherhood and the Salafist parties taking the most seats in Egypt's new government. If this is what the Egyptian people want, who are we in the West to say that this is not acceptable? I realize that it calls into question some of the alliances and treaties the U.S. has helped to broker over the years, chiefly the Egyptian-Israeli peace accords, but perhaps it's time for the U.S. and other Western governments to take a step back and focus more on the social and economic problems plaguing our own countries before criticizing or condemning others?
In my quest to learn more about the socioeconomic and political history of the modern Middle East, I came across a recently published book by respected Middle East correspondent and Washington Post columnist Robin Wright. "Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World" (Simon & Schuster, 2011) does an insightful and eminently readable job of introducing readers to the roots of the current unrest. In the book's first couple of chapters, Ms. Wright focuses on how the Arab Spring started--with the self-immolation of a young Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi after being accosted by a female Tunisian city inspector who claimed Mr. Bouazizi was operating without a license. Because he was poor, Mr. Bouazizi did not have the seven dollars needed to bribe the official to remain in business. He was humiliated, his livelihood was taken away from him, he didn't know what else to do. So he set himself on fire and this shocking image was soon spread virally through Facebook and YouTube throughout the Middle East. When people feel they do not have a voice, they understandably resort to extreme measures.
While I've only read the first three chapters of Ms. Wright's book so far, I urge everyone and anyone with an interest in learning more about the Arab Spring and its subsequent protest movements to pick up a copy of the book and get educated. By focusing on the plight of the common man and woman and the everyday average citizen, "Rock the Casbah" quickly gets to the root of the issue in a narrative that is compelling and reflective.
Ciao.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: "What responsibility--if any--does the West have in influencing the spread of democracy in the Middle East?"
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