Greetings to all my wonderful viewers once again!
This week, I tackle the issue of the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa. As most of you should know by now, the Arab spring refers to the series of movements across the Arab world that has been occurring since protesting began in Tunisia. They represent the will of the people rising up against autocrats and poor governance in the region that has not reflected the desires of the majority, sometimes for decades. Because the movements cover a total of 21 countries, I cannot do each one individually, so I'm splitting them into 4 categories: successes and failures, and North Africa and the true middle east (because technically, the Middle East begins at the Sinai Peninsula). These successes and failures span all the countries, and they are not absolute. A success signifies that the people have begun to push reforms in the region, and that the rights/freedoms of said people are increasing. A success means progress towards a stronger system, and a fairer system. A failure means that the people either couldn't create necessary reforms or governments repressed them enough to end or suspend movements. It means that progress has yet to be made, but still can be. Also, this week's quote is from the How It Should Have Ended (HISHE) series on YouTube, the harry potter one specifically. I do not take ownership or any claim to the quote, as it was produced by HISHE and is their intellectual property. Alright, let's begin.
We start my analysis in North Africa, an Arab dominated region that in some cases has been plagued by autocracy for a long ass time. This is where in December 2010 protests over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices began against the then Ben Ali led government, according to this site: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ts.html. By 2011, Ben Ali dismissed the government, allowing a national unity system to be swept into power under Fouad M'bazaa. After the success of these protests, those in Egypt began, leading to decade’s long dictator Hosni Mubarak being forced from the reigns in favor of the military leaders. Further protests and demonstrations took place in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Sudan against a multitude of issues depending on the country. This forced the powers that be in North Africa to take a look at how rule of the region had been made, and sometimes forced action in the positive. Other times, in the negative. Overall, I will vote for North Africa as a success in the context of the Arab Spring.
Here's why: as time has passed, each and every North African country touched by these movements has actually been forced into some action due to the strength and numbers of dissidents in the region. Reforms have been made, from simple constitutional reforms/elections like that of Morocco (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mo.html) to complete secession in Sudan and wholesale revolt in Libya and Egypt. And while problems still remain, like Bashir's Islamist repression of secularists in Sudan (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/su.html), most of them have been at the very least addressed. For a very long time, military leaders and despots controlled the North African Maghreb. Now, the power of the people has finally been forced forth, and progress is soon to follow. The trouble, however, is now the transfer of power. While Algeria and Morocco do not have to deal with this problem, the other countries (Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and South Sudan) have now been thrust into new governance, with little idea of how to truly run a country. While the idealism is certainly great, there is the constant omen of possible repression looming on these peoples. The situation is different for all of them. For Libya, it means shaking off the effects of a 40 year long dictatorship by a dude crazier than Lady Gaga. For South Sudan, it means building a brand new nation after years of Islamist repression. For Egypt and Tunisia, it means removing military rule for true civilian will. As such, it is most certainly going to be difficult to rebuild now that most of these countries have experienced sufficient instability in the past months. It is already obvious that the transfer of power is difficult and dangerous; the Egyptian military holds power most likely because it fears populist conservative movements that will attack the country's secular liberals. While I cannot say whether this fear is rightly founded, I can say this: whether they like it or not, the majority must rule, and if that means liberals and ultra-conservatives are going to share power, then so be it. It has become clear that both groups have the main goal or removing military control, and with that banner they are united. With now stabilized countries like Algeria and Morocco leading the pack, it's time for freedom in the region, no matter what it takes.
Alright, now I will address the true Middle East. Just as a note, Israel is excluded from this, mostly because it remained untouched by uprisings. Because Israel has long had a stable state with a strong, effective system, it has not experienced populist attacks. As such the Arab Spring did not truly change it, though it most certainly changed Israel's neighbors. Anyway, the true Middle East includes: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It is most certainly a larger region, affected deeply by the Arab Spring and separate crises of power. From Assad in Syria to Saleh in Yemen, the region suffers under harsh, repressive leadership, and has for a long time. Much of the movements here have both against corruption, as well as removal of crap leadership. And while it pains me to say this, I have to give the Middle East an overall failure of change and progress. Why? Because, despite some changes and progress, the Middle East has yet to free itself from numerous powerful autocrats, and for many countries deep problems remain. While a portion of the countries have made progress, like Jordan (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/jo.html), most have been repressed into keeping their wills quiet. For example, let's look at places where unrepresentative government plagues the populace, namely Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen. In Lebanon, Hezbollah, a recognized terrorist organization, has retained a presence and power in the country for several years, impeding progress and violently demonstrating their views against that of the majority in response to the Arab Spring (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/le.html). In Syria, President Assad has retained a tight grip on his country, using strong military force to back himself against increasingly angered protesters demanding his ouster. In Yemen, despite 33 year long leader Saleh "stepping down," he still has a huge control over the Yemeni system, leading to a continuation of his policies (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ym.html). In Iran, large scale protests against the long ultra-conservative, repressionist government were met with harsh military strikes that quickly silenced the people, not of their own volition but of fear of retribution, leaving the control of the country to Supreme Leader and Ayatollah Khamenei, who has ruled since Khomeini died in 1989 (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html). All these governments and others continue to shut out the voices of the majority in favor of those in power. They attack all those that threaten their positions, and retain strength in their respective countries no matter what. As such, on a full scale the Middle East still has much to do in terms of giving power to the people, and making the Middle East a free system for its people.
And, that is all for this week. I hope my inclusion of sources with each fact this time has made you all consider my positions a little more openly, and I also hope that soon peace in the Middle East and North Africa will prevail. Progress has been made, but it must continue. In order for freedom to win, repression must fail, and poor leaders must be replaced to reflect majorities in the regions. In time, I believe this is possible. Until that time, my heart goes out to all those suffering, in the hopes that justice will be swift and soon. Well, I'm done here, and if you wish to express something to me/the community leave a comment. You can also check my Facebook or my twitter, or my email at zerospintop@live.com. This is Superjew McLovin signing off.
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