A Word On the Arab Spring

Although I haven't posted much on the topic recently, I've still been watching the developments with feelings of eagerness and fearfulness fluctuating with the changing news. I'm weary to post anything new on the subject unless I can convey an opinion not widely held, or unless I can substantially add to the topic in such a way that it isn't just another boring read onto a mountain of literature on the subject.

At this point in the region-wide movement things are getting far more difficult. The government reactions of Tunisia and Egypt seem like mere pinches to the skin of the protesters compared to the much more brutal crackdown by the governments of Syria, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Oman. This change is being described by most commentators as the Arab Spring's Second Wave.

The first wave was marked by short time spans of a few weeks before a leader was toppled and mild-to-little violence. In this second wave, the leaders under threat have learned from the failures of their now-felled allies. From Libya to Bahrain, Syria to Yemen, the leaders are forcing out international media and increasing their grip on national private new sources. This is meant to reduce the negative images leaving the country to stop international outcry (before it begins). With media largely suppressed, the governments have moved to crackdown on the protesters with bloody fury.

In Syria more than a thousand protesters have been killed; in Yemen tribal fighting is breaking out as fears grow of long term civil war and the President refuses to sign a regional agreement; in Bahrain the emergency law was uplifted after successfully quelling protests for sometime, but on the day it was lifted protesters marched in smaller numbers yet were quickly dispersed. 

In spite of all this, the protesters aren't giving up. Their bravery and persistence in the face of such brutality should be an example to all people, with or without their self-evident rights abused. It should serve to remind us of our own history in the struggle for human rights; this would include everything from the American Revolution, to the Civil War; from the Civil Rights movement of Blacks, Hispanics, Gays, and women to the genocide of the  Native Americans (and everything in between).

Their efforts should generate feelings of humility about our current condition while strengthening our resolve to support them. International pressure is key and although the "second wave" will be more difficult and last longer, it would be naive to even think that the issues of the "first wave" were properly addressed; there is still much work to be done on all fronts.

We should be helping the people who have illegitimate governments (in all forms) remove them because they act as a direct barrier to much needed social, political and economic reforms.

We may disagree with whom the people elect after a successful revolution because they conflict with our own interests, however, that is never a justification to support the oppression of a single person, let alone millions of them. While opposition to the calls of the Arabs for freedom is immoral (or anyone else), even worse is ignoring it. 

To ignore their calls is to support the brutal crackdown of the governments. It is also the cowardly claim one makes that they "never knew what was happening." The least you can do is pay attention to the calls of the protesters; direct sources are everywhere from Facebook to Twitter and plenty of live media blogs. 

 Don't ignore what's going on because we only have each other to rely on. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. :

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

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