My sister, a Grad student studying Middle Eastern studies and Arabic, has drilled the idea into my mind that the recent events in the Middle East and North Africa are extremely historical and significant today. My own interest has lead to research and an addiction to various news websites and nightly readings of what happened that day. Because of the history being made and the importance these events have on our country as well as their own, I've decided to give a brief summary of what is happening in the revolting countries at this point.
Bahrain: The majority of Bahraini people are Shiite-Muslim, but the ruling government consists of Sunni-Muslims, which creates an obvious divide between the government and the people. Demonstrations by the people have led to violent crackdowns in the country's capital, but people are reluctant to give up.
Egypt: January 25th, 2011 will be forever known as the day that protests began in Egypt's now famous Tahrir Square. The Egyptians demanded the removal of their ruler, Hosni Mubarak, who was in power for three decades. Unemployment and the awful Emergency Law, which says any person can be arrested without a reason, were also driving forces of the demonstrations. Finally, Mubarak resigned, but Egyptians are uneasy due to little improvements in the regime.
Libya: Protests against leader Moammar Gaddafi have caused extreme violence and hundreds to thousands of deaths. Gaddafi's threatening and harsh speeches and the large amount of corruption in this country have enhanced his people's anger, as pro-democracy rebels continue to take control of many regions in Libya.
Tunisia: Unrest in this North African country due to unemployment and corruption caused demonstrations. Unlike the other leaders, president Ben Ali fled from his country in January, and the Prime Minister, Ghannouchi, resigned as he finally listened to protester's demands.
Other countries experiencing historical demonstrations and protests include Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, and Yemen. I encourage students to keep up to date with the current events surrounding these Middle Eastern countries, as the United State's relations with the region are of extreme importance and the countries' steps to democracy will be momentous and significant from now on.
Hannah, I myself have been following the recent news as well. I agree that it is difficult to understand the historical significance of events while one lives them because when our children are in school, they will learn about this brief stretch of time when many of the North African countries rebelled against veteran dictators and overthrew the system in favor of democracy. In the news the other day I was reading about how much money Mubarak and Gaddafi have made from their people (both have about 2 or 3 billion dollars) and I wonder how the world will be able to give this money back to the people. These leaders have lived lives of luxury and excess for too many years and I think it is only fair that we find a way to tap their Swiss bank accounts and investigate their offshore holding companies so that these people can get back the money they deserve in Egypt and Libya.
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