Supposedly, a wave of desire for democracy is sweeping the Arab world. Dictatorships are overthrown and the popular will is taking their place.
Really?
Yes, to an extent, there is an Arab Spring. Apparently, in Tunisia, the old order is overthrown. But thats about it. Consider:
In Syria, the Assad government is killing its own people in droves, razing towns and driving people over the border into Turkey. All the protestations in the world from the US and others are changing events within Syria not one whit.
In Bahrain, the government is also killing its protesting citizens, though not on the same scale as in Syria. Moreover, Saudi Arabia besides totally ignoring calls for reform of its own government is supplying weapons to Bahrain to suppress the people.
In Lebanon, the chief political power in a coalition government is now Hezbollah, which the US designates as a terrorist organization, and which openly declares the destruction of Israel to be one of its aims. Oh, and dont forget, any Lebanese who disagrees is now subject to reprisal by Hezbollah.
In the West Bank and Gaza, there has been no election since 2006; the people in power have now exceeded their elected terms; democracy, in a word, is dead in these areas, and there is not even a call for internal reform.
In Egypt, supposedly the poster child of the Arab Spring, the military government that replaced the Mubarak dictatorship is now something of a dictatorship itself. An astonishing 7,000 civilians have been sentenced to prison terms by military courts since Mubarak was ousted, according to Denver Post wire services. The new military government promises to review the cases and vacate any improper guilty verdicts which only raises the question, why were they convicted to begin with? How is the military rule different from the previous, dictatorship of Mubarak?
In Yemen, the long time dictator is no longer in power, but his son is, and it is not clear to what extent if any political reform and democratization are even envisioned.
In Libya, it turns out that even an assault coordinated by NATO and endemic revolutionary forces cannot oust dictator Qadaffi after 11 weeks of attack.
In Jordan, King Hussein is still firmly in power, and his essentially powerless legislature is still powerless, calls for democratic reform notwithstanding.
Then we come to Iran (not an Arab country) and to Iraq and to Afghanistan we all know how solidly democracy is ensconced in these countries.
Arab Spring?
What Arab Spring?
Copyright © 2011 by the Intermountain Jewish News
