The demands of social and political improvements are taking to the streets in hundreds of thousands of people in different countries of North Africa and Middle East, in what now seems an unstoppable wave. A number of authoritarian governments, corrupt and class that have spent decades in power, supported by armed forces and police checked alarmed that its brutal repression of street protests fail to quell quite the contrary.
The social unrest in Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt were taken by surprise European Union and Washington. In Spain and the rest of southern Europe in particular, are seen with astonishment the events that are taking place in Tunisia, have already spread like a domino effect in other countries of the Maghreb and the Arab world.
The unprecedented mass street protests in December originated in Tunisia in January and also in neighboring Algeria, for the rising prices of food and commodities, was the spark for thousands and thousands of people took to the streets and stones clashed with riot forces of the dictator of Tunisia, Zine el Abidine Bel Ali (74 years) and Algerian President Abdelaziz Boutlefika (73), with 23 and 11 years power respectively.
bonzo The self-immolation to the young graduate Mohamed Bouazizi after closure by the police of his street stall of vegetables and the confiscation of their property, incurred the wrath of thousands of young people desperate for high prices, lack of employment and freedoms , nepotism and rampant corruption of one-party regime.
The brutal repression with which Ben Ali said did nothing to tighten and extend the protest to the whole country, killing dozens of people dead, finally fleeing the country after 28 days of mobilization. While in Tunisia
spontaneous street protest that broke the weak and inexperienced organized political opposition, tries to avoid losing control of the management of complex period of transition to democratic elections that are open now, in Algeria, where too many people were burned to the Bonze in the streets and others were shot dead by police The government promises Boutlefika changes in an attempt to avoid a similar fate to that of Ben Ali.
social revolts in Algeria and Tunisia rouse a sleeping zombie European Union and the United States, never lift a finger to condemn those and other authoritarian and corrupt regimes in the region. For the EU and the United States essentially in relation to these countries, As with others who make up the so-called Arab Maghreb, Morocco and Libya, is the role of radical Islam brake and terrorism of Al Qaeda who play in the conflict zone.
In the case of Algeria, this is compounded by the importance of its oil and gas, supplying to countries like Spain. Fisheries agreements with Mediterranean countries are also vital for European fishing fleets, as well as its role of containing thousands of migrants try to reach every day still illegally from their shores to European shores in flimsy boats.
And if the Europeans have been astonished to see the virulence of the riots in Tunisia, a country ten million inhabitants and tourist destination, there are others who have not only shocked but are extremely concerned about the contagion effect that may result. Especially concerned is shown Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, in power since 1969 - who expressed his open support for Ben Ali to run away, and banned all demonstrations in the country in support of the Tunisian opposition, but so is undoubtedly the nearest Moroccan monarchy and other North African Arab governments, such as Mauritania. The wave of suicides to bonzo, doused with flammable liquids and set on fire, a form of protest adopted by Buddhist monks in the years 60s and 70s in various countries in Southeast Asia, has spread especially in Egypt, the most powerful and most populous area. Explosive
Most of North Africa now focuses on Egypt, the giant of the region, with over 80 million people, a key geopolitical ally not only in the U.S. and the rest of the West but also from Israel. Repression with which the regime of Hosni Mubarak (82 years, since 1981 in power), responded to the demonstrations to demand food, work and democracy, has already claimed more than 140 people, more than 2000 injured and over 3000 detainees. Needless to say, more half of Egyptians live on a dollar and half a day, which makes the lower class into a tinderbox.
A falling Mubarak could decisively change the political and power relations in the entire Arab and Muslim world in a broad area that includes not only the north but other parts of Africa and the Middle East. Hence the Obama Administration, like the European countries try to avoid that the intransigence of Mubarak cause an even greater bloodbath ending sectors benefiting politically radical Islamists and that is why we claim to establish channels for dialogue. Any negotiated solution would be better for the West and Israel that a violent overthrow of the Egyptian regime.
protests against economic and social injustice and for democracy, which has also taken place in Jordan, have begun to echo the past few days also in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, threatening to spread like wildfire a vast and troubled region.
Yesterday, thousands of Yemenis in the streets demanding the end of Sana'a Ali Abdullah Saleh regime on Friday were the Jordanians who have been on the streets after Muslim prayers to ask the King Abdullah II's dismissal of Prime Minister Samir Rifai, and the adoption of economic reforms and policies in the country.
Jordanian citizens have rallied for the third straight week in the streets of the capital, Amman, and in the cities of Irbid, Zarqa, Ajloun, Mafrak, Karnak and Aqaba. Islamic parties in the opposition, trade unions, civil society and activist groups have been convened and led the protests. Participants have raised placards and shouted slogans calling on King Abdullah II to dismiss the Government of Rifai because, according to the protesters, has failed to meet the needs of Jordanian citizens.
In Saudi Arabia, authorities have arrested dozens of demonstrators protesting Yeda situation poverty after the floods. The protest, called by SMS messages, has forced many shops in the main street in Jeddah to close while they could hear cries of "God is greatest" before the riots. In Syria, it has called a mass rally on 5 February.
Yemenis rebelled against food shortages, corruption and nepotism. To prevent such revolts, for its part, Morocco decided to take further measures such as subsidizing oil and basic foodstuffs. Morocco is the North African country least affected by the blast of revolution in Tunisia.
"If successful, Tunisia will impose itself as final model. "Arab public opinion to the challenge of the revolution Tunisian, Egyptian and now is enormous," said the Algerian Kamel Daoud, a columnist for Le Quotidien d'Oran. "If they succeed will be imposed as a definitive model . If they fail to be used as a pretext for authoritarian regimes to reiterate again the same equation: us or chaos. Tunisian revolution will spread, but increasingly with local specificities, "says the analyst of the Algerian newspaper.
" They understand that the street is stronger than those regimes exhausted. "Egyptians are mobilized and in its day Tunisian and even ask them advice on how do, "says the Tunisian Khadija Mohsen-Finan, a professor of history of the Maghreb in the University of Paris VIII." They understand that the street is stronger than these schemes worn, tired and corrupt and Western allies which they can drop. Tunisians and Egyptians say the same thing in the background. They rebel against inequality in the distribution of wealth, widespread corruption, the absence of a national project, the lack of prospects for young people. Yet there are differences. In Egypt, as in Algeria, the army is on the side of power. In Algeria, the population is concerned above all to meet again mired in violence. In Morocco, although greater legitimacy is not excluded an outbreak of violence against lean against the government, against the system, while preserving the king. I was there last week. Elites Tunisian repeated that the case can not get to Morocco, while taxi drivers claimed to speak of the fall of Ben Ali: 'This is what happens to the princes who lie to their people. "
" parties and even society play no role civil "." Revolution Tunisian only inspires people because as it developed, was the work of the people and the people alone, "says the Tunisian Amine Ghali, director of the Center for Democratic Transition Kawakibi." The political parties, civil society and even the trade unions played no role in this revolution. There are many similarities between the neighbors starting with the dictatorial character of the state and the gap between a clique that exploits around the head of state, and the vast majority of people. However, Tunisia was a police state, not military. Thanks to the neutrality of the military overthrow of a police state has been a relatively easy task.
"In other Arab countries the Islamists have a strong capacity to mobilize." If you look at the Tunisian regime that was based on more authoritarian and not only closed but the Maghreb Arab world, "says the Algerian Abdennour Benante Professor of Economics Center Applied Development. "This largely explains the popular character of the revolution that was done without political parties. In other Arab countries, however, Islamist political movements have, despite being repressed, a strong capacity for mobilization. This can reinforce and further politicize most popular mobilization and radicalize. So schemes could justify further repression. "
The explosion comes from the same accumulation of problems, frustrations, aspirations to the entire region.
First, the permanence of authoritarian regimes that never accountable to its citizens. If there is (or rather was) an "Arab exceptionalism," of course is this: these systems have experienced an unprecedented longevity, and even the great wave of democratization that swept Eastern Europe, Africa or Latin America has crashed into the wall of dictatorships Middle East and North Africa: Mubarak is the president since 1982, M. Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh directed since 1978 and in Amman, King Abdullah II succeeded his father in 1999, which in turn came to power in 1952. Not to mention Syria, where Bashar Al-Assad succeeded his father, who had seized power in 1970, in Morocco where King Mohammed VI succeeded his father in 1999, who had reigned since 1961; of Libya, where Gadhafi punished since 1969 and is preparing his son to succeed him. As Ben Ali, Tunisia presided at will since 1989.
In any case, whatever the conditions of each country, they all violate individual rights, political and expression. The moukhabarat, the Egyptian secret police, they reaffirm their omnipotence is not uncommon in Egypt and elsewhere, that abuse, torture and murder of detainees. The publication by WikiLeaks of telegrams sent from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo confirmed what everyone knew (including Nicolas Sarkozy), but that did not prevent each other to entertain the faithful ally the West while denouncing the conduct in Iran ("Iran Egypte-deux poids, deux mesures», Nouvelles d'Orient, November 27, 2010). This absolute arbitrariness, which is also reflected in everyday life and puts citizens at the mercy of forces drives a revolution everywhere expresses the desire for dignity.
All these schemes have not only monopolized political power, but also have been imposed in the economic sphere often acting as true predators of national wealth, as in the case of Tunisia. States that were born of independence, which generally guaranteed their citizens protection minimum, some social security coverage or access to education, have collapsed against the onslaught of corruption and globalization. Even access to college than before, in Egypt, opened the door to access to public, no longer has the potential to increasingly frustrated youth have to see how they strut "the new rich."
In the 70's, the oil boom offered an outlet for many who migrated to the Gulf, but this region is no longer able to absorb the increased flows of unemployed. The growth figures set by the champions of economic liberalism, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan, often report objects appreciative of the international financial institutions, which fail to mask the growing poverty. For several years, social movements have taken hold in Egypt Grèves ouvrière, Lutter paysannes, demonstrations in the suburbs of big cities, etc .- and in Tunisia (Gafsa), Jordan and Yemen. But so far never been open and massively expressed the will of political change. The Tunisian example has busted the locks.
also be pointed out that the fight against Israel, often featuring Middle Eastern regimes an argument to maintain their control "in the name of unity against the Zionist enemy," does not seem sufficient. Egypt and Jordan signed peace agreements with Israel, and the whole Arab world seems completely unable to react to the systematic annihilation of the Palestinians. Let no one be deceived: an American writer, Robert Kaplan, noted in The New York Times (January 24) that "are not Democrats, but autocrats like Sadat or King Hussein who made peace with Israel. A solidly installed autocrat can more easily make concessions that a weak leader out of the polls (...) ". And in an appeal to U.S. leaders to support the "autocratic" Arabs asked, "Do we really want large street demonstrations that undermine the power of enlightened leaders like King Abdullah of Jordan. "
And now? Any forecast on Egypt is safe and nobody can foresee how events continue. What will the Muslim Brotherhood are very unwilling to enter into a confrontation with the power and have finally decided to join the movement? In any case, the Tunisian revolution has opened the door and sent a wind of freedom beyond the borders to foreign peoples, that makes me dizzy.
Argentino As the hymn says: "Freedom, freedom, freedom" to all peoples of the Arab world and all peoples the world.
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