The revolutions that we've been seeing are truly an "Arab people's revolution." All these protests are a testament to all those who believe in the domino effect. With the success of the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia (there is still much work to be done), Egyptians living under similar conditions were inspired and took to the streets (although these events have been a long time coming). Protests in Egypt followed with massive protests in Jordan, Algeria, and Yemen. No foreign support, no official leaders (most political parties began their endorsements AFTER the protests had begun).
All inspired by similar economic, political and social limitations. All utilizing modern technology through their youth. These are "modern revolutions" in the truest sense of the phrase. Unique to history because they began through the youth, not old men who wanted change. Innovative in context, because they utilized social networking in countries with very weak internet infrastructures. To catch up with all that is happening (because I've been struggling myself) I'll update you with short paragraphs:
*** Update**** As I watch a live feed, reports show that the U.S. State Department note that there isn't any noticeable anti american sentiments in any of the protests, while most observers don't view the Muslim brotherhood as much of an influencer in the nation's politics even if the nation did have free elections. To those who fear an anti american government, it may not be so.
Egypt: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has resigned his government and appointed a Vice President for the first time in decades. He has also appointed a new Prime Minister who will have the job of creating a new cabinet and government. Although not officially stated, some are talking of the departure of the President and his family (including his son who many thought would follow him in power) to London. I haven't gotten an official report, so I'm still very skeptical. The protests have been growing and now range in the tens of thousands all at once marching the streets. There is a growing question over the role of the military in Egypt; Arab nations are infamous for military takeovers during fragile times. Egyptian military generals recently (a few days ago) took a trip to the U.S. to speak with U.S. government officials. So far, the Egyptian military has done little to stop the massive protests (what you see in the news is the riot police). What brings all this into question is the fact that the newly appointed Deputy, Prime Minister, and Vice President are all military figures (as was Mubarak when he took power). Lawlessness and looting have also been reported in different parts of the country as police forces have been retreating.
In an effort to stop the inspiration for protests, China has blocked all content about the Egyptian protests from social networks to general information and websites detailing the events (including this blog probably! no one no one in China reads this!!! arrgh!) As of today, the county's largest protest so far is estimated at being around 2 MILLION PEOPLE! Al Jazeera is running a live video of the protests (it is evening there as I watch it) You can watch the live coverage in English here. Since starting the Youtube coverage, Al Jazeera's page is now one of the most popular on the site that deals with billions of views a day. The planned march (spread by word of mouth since internet and phone networks are shut down by the government) was supposed to be "A million man march," word spread and now it is estimated to be around 2 million. Meanwhile, Hosni Mubarak has already sworn in the new government and is making more concessions, but too little too late for these protests. These 2 million are only the people protesting in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Others have been kept away from the sight for "safety reasons" since there will be too many people. The military is almost non existent and doesn't want to intervene with the politics of the country.
State televisions have been showing pro government protests in the hundreds, far from the millions gathering against it. Meanwhile, Israel has gone on a lobbying campaign to build support for the Mubarak dictatorship against the revolution in much of Europe and the United States. Israel and the U.S. fear an anti-american government and one hostile to Israel, but the anti-american sentiment in Egypt stems a lot from the U.S. support for Mubarak. It is now in the best interest of the U.S. to drop Mubarak, allow for elections and try to work with the new government. Even if a government is formed that is strongly anti-Israel (unlikely to be as anti israel as the Muslim brotherhood) Egypt wouldn't attack Israel and if it did, it would clearly lose. I don't believe that a more antiwestern government will be much of a threat to Israel. Yes, it will make things worse, and more difficult, but that NEVER warrants the suppression of people's freedoms.
Jordan: Protests inspired by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt led to the King of Jordan to resign his entire government as protesters demand a new prime minister. The King has now appointed a new ex-general to form the new cabinet. I've mentioned before that this isn't yet a revolution and I don't think it will turn out as such, based on what is happening, but it should. Based on personal testimony made to me by people I know who've been in Jordan, there is a severe lack of freedom of speech. People are not allowed to criticize the government, political parties are limited, government is corrupt and criticizing the King himself will have you sent to jail. Until these basic issues are resolved, we can expect future protests, even if those today die away.
Syria: Syrians are watching the protests around the Arab world very closely and wondering what it could mean for them. There have been no protests, and conditions are not that different than some of these other countries, but it will be interesting to watch if anything come out of this (though I doubt it).
Tunisia: Yes, these protests are still going on. Clearly Egypt has overtake much of the media attention because it is a much more strategic country for the middle east and its rallies are much larger and dealing with a much stronger supported government by the U.S. and other countries. No one even knew much about Tunisia before these protests, but Egypt has made a name for itself over the decades. As protests continue, the country is being stripped of anything related to their old President Ben Ali. His signature "purple" fashion is avoided by protesters, his signs, posters and more are all being torn down as well as massive letters on top of a sky scraper praising his presidency. On Jan 17th, a new coalition government was named to form a new government that many consider a more democratic system. Two political parties have been excluded, which is building up some controversy, but on the whole things are turning out for the better. Reports also show that Secretary Clinton contacted the new government and urged them to implement new reforms for the new nation.
There is also a fundamental point that few have looked at in the media: Wikileaks. Yes the Tunisian protests were inspired by horrible living conditions, and triggered by the self immolation of a man, but Wikileaks also served as a catalyst to the uprising. In it's release of "Cablegate," the State Department's analysis of the President's family (and control of the country) put the government in a very bad light. Wikileaks was banned, but only after the cables were leaked and news spread around Tunisia. Some even wonder whether this is the first "Wikileaks Revolution." I wouldn't go that far myself, but it is a really important thing to consider.
Yemen: Although there are still thousands protesting the government and "president" in power, concessions have helped weaken their numbers. Unless things change, it seems that in Yemen at least, a revolution will not come to fruition. It is important to note that the U.S. has started a newer initiative to work closer with the Yemeni government to track down supports of Osama Bin Laden who have been congregating in the country. Many analysts believe the longer fight won't be in Afghanistan, as much as it will be in Yemen as they build their new base their to launch attacks. This closer relationship really helps strengthen the power of the government and puts even more doubt on protesters changing anything.
Also found this great chart about different revolutions, movements, militancies and stuff you see the differences in them all!
Again, here is the link to watch the protests live (consider time difference, about 6-7 hours).
State televisions have been showing pro government protests in the hundreds, far from the millions gathering against it. Meanwhile, Israel has gone on a lobbying campaign to build support for the Mubarak dictatorship against the revolution in much of Europe and the United States. Israel and the U.S. fear an anti-american government and one hostile to Israel, but the anti-american sentiment in Egypt stems a lot from the U.S. support for Mubarak. It is now in the best interest of the U.S. to drop Mubarak, allow for elections and try to work with the new government. Even if a government is formed that is strongly anti-Israel (unlikely to be as anti israel as the Muslim brotherhood) Egypt wouldn't attack Israel and if it did, it would clearly lose. I don't believe that a more antiwestern government will be much of a threat to Israel. Yes, it will make things worse, and more difficult, but that NEVER warrants the suppression of people's freedoms.
Jordan: Protests inspired by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt led to the King of Jordan to resign his entire government as protesters demand a new prime minister. The King has now appointed a new ex-general to form the new cabinet. I've mentioned before that this isn't yet a revolution and I don't think it will turn out as such, based on what is happening, but it should. Based on personal testimony made to me by people I know who've been in Jordan, there is a severe lack of freedom of speech. People are not allowed to criticize the government, political parties are limited, government is corrupt and criticizing the King himself will have you sent to jail. Until these basic issues are resolved, we can expect future protests, even if those today die away.
Syria: Syrians are watching the protests around the Arab world very closely and wondering what it could mean for them. There have been no protests, and conditions are not that different than some of these other countries, but it will be interesting to watch if anything come out of this (though I doubt it).
There is also a fundamental point that few have looked at in the media: Wikileaks. Yes the Tunisian protests were inspired by horrible living conditions, and triggered by the self immolation of a man, but Wikileaks also served as a catalyst to the uprising. In it's release of "Cablegate," the State Department's analysis of the President's family (and control of the country) put the government in a very bad light. Wikileaks was banned, but only after the cables were leaked and news spread around Tunisia. Some even wonder whether this is the first "Wikileaks Revolution." I wouldn't go that far myself, but it is a really important thing to consider.
Yemen: Although there are still thousands protesting the government and "president" in power, concessions have helped weaken their numbers. Unless things change, it seems that in Yemen at least, a revolution will not come to fruition. It is important to note that the U.S. has started a newer initiative to work closer with the Yemeni government to track down supports of Osama Bin Laden who have been congregating in the country. Many analysts believe the longer fight won't be in Afghanistan, as much as it will be in Yemen as they build their new base their to launch attacks. This closer relationship really helps strengthen the power of the government and puts even more doubt on protesters changing anything.
Also found this great chart about different revolutions, movements, militancies and stuff you see the differences in them all!
Again, here is the link to watch the protests live (consider time difference, about 6-7 hours).
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