When I watched the videos about the Arab spring it really touched me and it encouraged me to know more about it and I am reflect of what I have learned from this issue. The first wave of Arab revolution broke out in Tunisia on 19th December 2010 when an unemployed man, agitated and irritated due to the rising unemployment scale within the country set himself to fire. In the wake of the protests that followed this event, the leader of Tunisia Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, made a declaration that his regime would do everything to deal with the unemployment problem within the country but any protestor would be strictly dealt with in case of a public protest.
However, the protests continued and the strict action and violent methods of control adopted by Ben Ali’s regime further sparked the tension in the area. In January 2011, riots broke out between the Muslims and the Christians in Egypt. A bomb blast in a Catholic church after the New Year Services provoked the Christians in the country to resort to violence against the Muslims. The situation got so much out of control that the leader of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak had to step down from his post. Under similar circumstances, unrest amongst people and a desire for the revolution also provoked mass protest in Yemen and Bahrain in February 2011. It was finally the mass protest and the revolution in Libya that stated it clearly that the entire Arab world had already been captured by this new wave of revolution which was uncontrollable in every sense. One country after the other started challenging the authority of the leaders of the nation.
People came out on street and demanded for democracy. The last country to be engulfed by the wave of revolution was Syria, where mass protests still continue against Bashar Al Assad and his regime. The spirits of revolution that encapsulated the Arab World and led to the toppling of many regimes have left the Arab nations in a directionless state. Though the revolution was aimed at bringing democracy and change, many of the newly free Arab countries like Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia etc. are faced by the problem of the absence of a competent political party. I think that the fact is that though the former regimes may have agreed to conduct fair and open elections, in most of newly independent Arab states, not many candidates have proved their efficiency and knowledge in being able lead the people of Arab countries in the right direction. The fact is that each of the Arab Nation faces many problems which may be similar or dissimilar on many levels.
To start with, most of the Arab Nations are already under deep economical mire. The unemployment rate is already very high. The national debts are reaching the skies. In such a case, to pull the economy out of the burner would be a daunting task for the people who come in power. Apart from, most of the Arab Nations also face the problem of having ethnically or religiously diverse population. For instance, Egypt is an amalgamation of a Muslim majority and Christian Minority. In Yemen and Syria, the population is divided between Shia’s and Sunni’s. Taking Arab nations on a path of development while still maintaining peace between its people is going to be an extremely task in the way. Yet another problem is that most of the free
Arab nations will now be approached by Western world countries for various purposes, oil being one of the major attractions. These young nations will have to make sure that in their process of development they choose to walk a road that is authentically suited to their needs and not influenced or the one chosen by the Western countries for them. History is replete with examples where the major powers of the world defined the growth of newly free nations and in the process, the young nations ended up harming themselves more than benefitting from the Western World. This has to be strictly taken care of. Lastly, the Arab World has finally got its chance to beam and shine. However, I believe if cautions are not taken and efforts are not made, the chances are that this chance will easily slip out of the hands of the Arab World and instead, what will prevail is a situation of grave chaos and seriousness.
The Arab World is on Crossroads. One wrong step can lead it into a completely wrong direction. Only time will tell if the Arab revolution is going to progressive evolution or retrogressive revolution. As of now, let us hope they make the best of the opportunity that have won for themselves.
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