It’s the end of another day. We decide go to the bar and get a basket of fries while we watch the hockey game. Perhaps we order a couple of beers, maybe a few cocktails.
Halfway across the world, the only cocktails students are being served are of the explosive sort: Molotovs.
While Canadians take pride in their empathy and sensitivity to world issues, many of them, prior to recent events, would not be able to tell you the difference between Tunisia and a tuna sandwich. The Tunisian revolution has certainly drawn attention to the region, and the momentum of their undertaking has been almost as terrifying as it has been inspirational. Its fervour has spread virulently across North Africa and into the bowels of the Middle East- though from afar, it seems like these demonstrations have been a long time coming.
But these protests are also suggestive of a new type of global thinking. It is clear that the youth of these nations, many of them students like us, are no longer willing to tolerate what their fathers and forefathers did. This new mentality has been most evident in Egypt, as a large part of their traction has been gained via organized communication. Their protests have been leaderless, and these revolutions have been of the Internet age: decentralized and social.
The most important thing to note, however, is that these countries, while similar in their discontent, are not the same; what worked for Tunisia and Egypt may not work for the rest of them because the regimes and demographics still vary. Studying them on a case-by-case basis is the best an average Canadian can do to grasp what is really going on.
Tunisia (North Africa)
Tunisians began protesting last December. They began to gain real momentum in early January, and with their progress came more reports of horrific police brutality. The entire revolution was sparked by a fruit seller, who publicly set himself on fire to protest the widespread and persisting government corruption. His act was merely indicative of a very pervasive mistrust, augmented over time by high unemployment, rising food prices, and strong discouragement for freedom of speech.
While the events in Tunisia have been motivational, the current government is still very fragile; many Tunisians are not satisfied and, having revolted before, seem willing to do so again. Regardless of what they choose to do, their lives are currently better off without their former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was closing in on his 24th consecutive year in office before he fled the country on January 14th.
Egypt (North Africa)
The demonstrations in Egypt have been some of the more intense thus far, with a death toll far surpassing any of the other protesting nations. Inspired by Tunisia, the citizens of Egypt took to the streets in peaceful protest that inevitably turned violent. Egypt, being a larger country with a greater racial and socio-economic divide, has always had a far more crumbly infrastructure. Its disdain for its apathetic president Hosni Mubarak has also been significantly more acute, given their disapproval of Egypt-U.S. relations and support of Israel.
Egypt finally got what it desired on February 11th, with President Hosni Mubarak leaving the country unceremoniously in the early hours of the day; his powers have temporarily been assigned to Vice President Omar Suleiman. Egypt’s revolution, by virtue of it being a larger player in world affairs, is, unfortunately, a double-edged sword. The state of the Suez Canal, which has been instrumental in intercontinental trade, as well as Egypt-Israel relations has potential to be jeopardized by a new regime; it may seem selfish given the heights the Egyptian people have climbed to, but it is a concern not to be taken lightly. Hopefully things will pan out for the better with a more secular government- the one that the Egyptian people had envisioned all along.
Yemen (The Middle East)
The consensus is that Yemen will be next. Thousands of Yemeni citizens have been protesting in Sana’a, the country’s capital, demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The protesters are mostly students and youth. Saleh has been in power since he was elected in 1999, and has constantly been “re-elected” since, much to the chagrin of the people; the visibility of this sort of corruption, combined with the extremely high rates of poverty and presence of separatist groups have fueled tensions within the country. Yemen is bursting at the seams, and it’s only a matter of time for the country to see a revolution.
Algeria (North Africa)
Like with Tunisia, demonstrations started in response to the global rise in food prices. The public’s mistrust for the government has also been growing for years, especially given the repeated acts of corruption by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a dictator who has held power since 1999, and his office. The recent revolutions in both Tunisia and Egypt have shaken the country up a bit- the people have been more vocal in their dissent, and the government has shuffled its cabinet in a weak attempt to appease them. Only time will tell if the Algerian people will follow in the footsteps of their neighbours.
Lebanon (The Middle East)
Lebanon has been relatively quiet, but there have been growing reports of public unrest. Unlike in Tunisia and in Egypt, these demonstrations seem to be driven by political parties as much as by the general public. Most of the protestation has been carried out by Sunni Muslims who are opposed to the current government’s large Shiite (Hezbollah) makeup. The intensity of the protests has not really been clear and have largely been overshadowed by the demonstrations in Egypt, but it is clear that the Lebanese people are not happy with the way their government is operating.
Syria (The Middle East)
There has been mild activity in the country of Syria, though protests here have been dwarfed by those in the nearby countries. Most of the demonstrations have been related to similar issues- high rates of unemployment and atrocious poverty, low wages, and rising food prices. The protests here have largely been non-violent, and much of this is due to the fact that their president, Bashar Al-Assad, is not as despised as Ben Ali was in Tunisia and Mubarak was in Egypt; Al-Assad has always stood up to occidental pressure, earning the people’s favour.
Albania (Eastern Europe)
The fervor has also spread to Eastern Europe. The protests here, however, are in response to the growing tension between the country’s leaders and the opposition socialist movement, who are greatly supported by the public. The emerging instances of corruption have not helped the situation either, as it recently became known that Prime Minister Sali Berisha came to office by rigging the elections in 2009. Immediately following this was the resignation of a well-known minister, after the revelation of another corruption scandal. The subsequent fatal shootings of four anti-government protesters by Albanian guardsmen have stirred the Albanian people into a state of shock and anger, and they have taken to the streets to show their rage. Their only protection from the effects of their own government’s vitriol right now is the fact that the European Union has pressured Berisha to hold back.
Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)
Protests here are for reasons that bear resemblance to those in Albania. President Alassane Ouattara was elected in November of 2010, but previous President Laurent Gbagbo will not step down. The problem here is that Gbagbo has the military’s backing; they have been instrumental in stalling demonstrations, which have been on and off for a couple of months now. With the recent call to arms, however, it will not be long before Ivorians are clashing with the military again.
Gabon (Central Africa)
As in Côte d’Ivoire, current President Ali Bongo, elected in 2009, is being challenged by opposition leader Andre Mba Obame for office. Thousands are taking to the streets on his behalf, stating that Bongo’s power was achieved through nepotism, despite the voting process. The conflicts have been getting increasingly violent and have involved the police on numerous occasions. In a speech to the public, Obame stated that he drew his inspiration from the protests in Côte d’Ivoire and in Tunisia.
It is easy to see how the people of these nations can look to their neighbours and begin to question the states of their own lives. These instances of rebellion show only a fraction of the power that can be harnessed when people come together, and to be able to witness it in this day is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, all we can do from afar is watch.
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