Even though US President George W. Bush failed miserably to bring one to the Arab World, will the one started in Tunisia earlier this year finally bring true democracy to the Arab World?
By: Ringo Bones
For a very long time, the Arab World has faced only two real choices for leadership: either a) a pro-Western despot or b) Anti-Western Islamism. Fortunately, since the martyrdom of a Tunisian activist named Mohamed Bouazizi, the Arab World now has a chance to experience true-blue democracy where everyone has a voice on how their government’s should be run instead of an autocratic rule by a single individual or a secretive cabal. The question now on everyone’s mind is: does the recent popular revolution that started in Tunisia that’s spreading throughout less-than-democratic Arab states will change the region for the better?
Fortunately, there are very hopeful signs that the recent wave of popular uprisings in the Arab World could change the region for the better. Egypt’s president-for-life Hosni Mubarak recently stepped down out of – we hope – concern for the escalating casualties of Egyptian demonstrators. Two Libyan fighter pilots defecting to Malta with their fighter planes back in February 22 after refusing orders from Muammar Gaddafi to strafe unarmed Libyan demonstrators.
Unknown to most of the Western public-at-large, lack of opportunities for young graduates, poverty and high food prices are only part of the gripes that drove Arab youths in a wave of popular revolts helped by internet-based social networking sites. These uprisings are – in truth - largely driven by denial of governmental decision making of the citizenry by their despotic powers-that-be. As of late, the King of Saudi Arabia had recently been handing out “dole money” to the young citizenry to pacify them, but if the Royal House of Saud wants to avoid a widespread revolt while they still can, it would be better if they provide their young, well-educated citizenry more participation in the day-to-day decision making of their government.
Showing posts with label Tunisia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tunisia. Show all posts
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Will Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution Free the Arab World?
With a popular uprising that eventually ousted Tunisia’s own president-for-life, will Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution eventually liberate the Arab world and the rest of Gulf state countries from their respective despots?
By: Ringo Bones
Named after Tunisia’s national flower the Jasmine Revolution – or similar popular uprisings - now on-going in Egypt and has just started, according to the BBC, in Jordan. Has been seen not just by Gulf State citizens but by everyone in the world as well as the pivotal moment that could eventually depose various despots and self-styled president-for-life type rulers in the Arab world. But will it really be successful in liberating the Arab world of long-ruling despots in a relatively peaceful manner?
With the Tunisian uprising still unfinished due to the personnel of the previous despotic regime are still in their posts and the tragic death toll from the clashes between soldiers and demonstrators calling for the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt hovered around 30 by Saturday, January 29, 2011, the on-going revolution in the Arab world – dubbed as their Solidarity Movement of Gdansk Port / Fall of the Berlin Wall moment by political pundits – doesn’t seem to be resolving as peacefully as previously thought. And many top-level geopolitical analysts here in the West have fears that the Egyptian uprising might devolve into a Tiananmen Square style bloodbath.
The current Gulf State uprising is primarily aided by the clarion-call of existing Internet-based on-line social networks like Twitter and Facebook in organizing their rallies. Demonstrators in Egypt are rallying around Nobel laureate and former IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei and could catapult ElBaradei as the potential replacement of president-for-life Hosni Mubarak who had ruled Egypt under emergency rule since the assassination of President Anwar Sadat back in 1981. Only time will tell if the liberation of the Arab World from its despots will be a relatively peaceful one.
By: Ringo Bones
Named after Tunisia’s national flower the Jasmine Revolution – or similar popular uprisings - now on-going in Egypt and has just started, according to the BBC, in Jordan. Has been seen not just by Gulf State citizens but by everyone in the world as well as the pivotal moment that could eventually depose various despots and self-styled president-for-life type rulers in the Arab world. But will it really be successful in liberating the Arab world of long-ruling despots in a relatively peaceful manner?
With the Tunisian uprising still unfinished due to the personnel of the previous despotic regime are still in their posts and the tragic death toll from the clashes between soldiers and demonstrators calling for the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt hovered around 30 by Saturday, January 29, 2011, the on-going revolution in the Arab world – dubbed as their Solidarity Movement of Gdansk Port / Fall of the Berlin Wall moment by political pundits – doesn’t seem to be resolving as peacefully as previously thought. And many top-level geopolitical analysts here in the West have fears that the Egyptian uprising might devolve into a Tiananmen Square style bloodbath.
The current Gulf State uprising is primarily aided by the clarion-call of existing Internet-based on-line social networks like Twitter and Facebook in organizing their rallies. Demonstrators in Egypt are rallying around Nobel laureate and former IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei and could catapult ElBaradei as the potential replacement of president-for-life Hosni Mubarak who had ruled Egypt under emergency rule since the assassination of President Anwar Sadat back in 1981. Only time will tell if the liberation of the Arab World from its despots will be a relatively peaceful one.
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