Being in Paris, news of the overthrow of Ben Ali in Tunisia was the talk of the town. Like most of post-colonial Africa, nepotism, kleptocracy and all other manner of injustice is just standard operating practices. This would seem the primary legacy left by Europeans, and the lesson was learned well by those who came to power after colonialism went out of fashion. The big story however, is that it wasn't a military coup that toppled Ben Ali, it was rioting. This is a big deal in the Arab world because it just doesn't happen. Already demonstrations have taken place in Jordan with the protesters claiming inspiration from Tunisia and Egypt has been becoming more unruly for some time now, so they will surely take heart at this example of defiance. The West doesn't even bother justifying their continued support of these regimes because it is so clear they are both ruthless and irredeemably corrupt. There is a proverb in Arabic that goes- 'A person who does not speak out against the wrong is a mute devil'. Unlike the hypocrite politicians of the developed world, I can't blame those in the Arab world for not speaking out since it is the most repressive and sanguinary of governments they are challenging; all of which are rather open about sending innumerable people to the torture chamber and anonymous graves for just such activity. Still the tide is getting rather tumultuous of late on board the boat which these dictators sail. How long they will last is anyones guess. In all fairness, they could outlast all the rest in the world by sheer tenacity. However, 'He who swings an aggressive sword will die by one' is another proverb of these people that surely factors into their thinking. On another note in the region, it appears there will be no campaign against Iran this year because the US and Israel launched a cyberworm that in conjunction with the assassination of two nuclear physicists has slowed their quest for the bomb enough so that the issue can be put off for a while longer yet. The government of Lebanon, the only Arab democracy, fell when Hezbollah pulled its members out of the coalition. They said they were doing so because the UN was blaming them for the assassination of PM Rafik Hariri; proving yet again that UN stands for unbelievably naive. Despite all this, I still want to go visit them.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
المصائب لا تأتي فرادى (disasters don't come one by one)
Being in Paris, news of the overthrow of Ben Ali in Tunisia was the talk of the town. Like most of post-colonial Africa, nepotism, kleptocracy and all other manner of injustice is just standard operating practices. This would seem the primary legacy left by Europeans, and the lesson was learned well by those who came to power after colonialism went out of fashion. The big story however, is that it wasn't a military coup that toppled Ben Ali, it was rioting. This is a big deal in the Arab world because it just doesn't happen. Already demonstrations have taken place in Jordan with the protesters claiming inspiration from Tunisia and Egypt has been becoming more unruly for some time now, so they will surely take heart at this example of defiance. The West doesn't even bother justifying their continued support of these regimes because it is so clear they are both ruthless and irredeemably corrupt. There is a proverb in Arabic that goes- 'A person who does not speak out against the wrong is a mute devil'. Unlike the hypocrite politicians of the developed world, I can't blame those in the Arab world for not speaking out since it is the most repressive and sanguinary of governments they are challenging; all of which are rather open about sending innumerable people to the torture chamber and anonymous graves for just such activity. Still the tide is getting rather tumultuous of late on board the boat which these dictators sail. How long they will last is anyones guess. In all fairness, they could outlast all the rest in the world by sheer tenacity. However, 'He who swings an aggressive sword will die by one' is another proverb of these people that surely factors into their thinking. On another note in the region, it appears there will be no campaign against Iran this year because the US and Israel launched a cyberworm that in conjunction with the assassination of two nuclear physicists has slowed their quest for the bomb enough so that the issue can be put off for a while longer yet. The government of Lebanon, the only Arab democracy, fell when Hezbollah pulled its members out of the coalition. They said they were doing so because the UN was blaming them for the assassination of PM Rafik Hariri; proving yet again that UN stands for unbelievably naive. Despite all this, I still want to go visit them.
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Not sure if you can call Hezbollah-run Lebanon a democracy. If a democracy is a forced evacuation of an elected body at machine gun point - then yes, Hezbollah is a democracy. The approval Hezbollah commands is one sanctioned by Iran and enforced by guerilla insurgents – not a consensual approval to implement a referendum in which to exercise equal control over the matters which affect public interests. If one actually believes in such methods, then one can justify them by enshrouding them in whichever velvety cloak they wish.
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