The Hands of Revolution

The tight fisted Revolutions that have swept the region are a long awaited punch at the face of oppression. Though the troubles they face are towering Arabs are gripping the steep mountain side and climbing. This is all in the hopes of being counted in a world where voice and individuality mean more than they have in the past. With two fingers raised, they hold high and proud their rights to autonomy. Though this be the Peace sign in America, the index and middle finger raised together represents Victory in the Arab region, both are now in the hands of the people and the ultimate question that comes to mind is: will they succeed?
Not a politician or a political scientist, I am unable to asses the political dimensions of the Revolutions, but in true Arab spirit I will speak on behalf of myself. Regardless of whether these Movements succeed or fail they have planted the seeds for future change, and that is a highly relevant and strong claim to believe in.

As is expected each revolution has its own precedent, its own context and history to deal with. Going in order:

Tunisia has the strong influence of French imperial power (much like Lebanon) still ingrained in its makeup, as such this influenced their desire to revolt and their will to succeed given that they were the first. I believe connections to the French Republic and its own Revolutionary history alongside increased unemployment and a struggling population plus access to a world of difference via the web greatly pushed forth the beginnings of this movem ent.

Egypt's Revolution followed, sprung from years of attempts at protesting for any sort of change, growing into a cry for total change. Renowned for this history of protest, what was sparked by Tunisia became an overall flame of action in Egypt as the people took that history into the present.






 Further East and South, Yemen's revolution is greatly shaped by its own civil strife and the imbalance of their past is creating for changes in their future. Like Libya this country is underdeveloped, contrary to Libya the population is enormous. Thus what started out as small enclaves of protest became all out plea's that called forth for the new.

Libya, ruled by a leader slightly off his rocker, is being rocked into place by violence, which is an unexpected response given how Tunisia, Egypt, and now Yemen have developed and are developing. I believe the rate of poverty and the degree of unemployment are quenched by the overall size of the country (for such a small population) and the overall tribal balance of the country.

 

Jordan and Kuwait fit oddly in this time line, though their revolutions are not any the less important. Jordan's population is greatly influenced by Palestine, that said they have a strong sense of Jordanian pride in them, all the Jordanians I have met have been proudly affiliated to their monarch, so I'm assuming there may be a class element to the conflict in Jordan. (as there is in each of these revolutions) Though this be speculation, it is important to note that the issues of unemployment and poverty are ones the poorer classes struggle with more predominantly. This doesn't take into consideration sectarian issues which you face in many of the countries being discussed, or ethnic issues, or their historic affiliations. It is a sectarian issue that has striked Kuwait, as the Shiite have always been an underrepresented group in the Arab region, they are now finding ways to secure their presence and quell their marginal status.

Syria is now seeing buds of protest, though it to has sectarian divides that can overpower the countries overall balance, the Allawi rulers have made sure to make secularism a requirement thus encouraging the onslaught of Islamic oriented sentiment in the country. (not saying secularism is bad, but in the context of Syria it is used against the people, because it is not true secularism, one group/sect of leaders is only in power whereas the others are not given any means of choosing their own representatives from their sect/group or any other).

All of which leads us to Lebanon, in light of all the conflicts that have been happening, Lebanon is by far the most stable, though there be anti-sectarian protests, the impetus for this kind of change is gravely lacking as almost everyone benefits from the countries infringed divides, and those who don't benefit feel the issues that matter at the moment are more dire than creating a country for all instead of a country for some.



Thus in conclusion, though all this is familiar to most Arabs, what you probably don't know is that as I write people are protesting on my street, RIGHT NOW, they are calling for change and yeah it could be class, or sect, or tribe, or oppressive leader/leaders, or mere lack of voice, but whatever the reason, whatever the cause, change is inevitable, and I believe in change. I too hold my fist high, with two fingers raised and an inevitable call for peace/victory!