Thursday, February 17, 2011
Editorial

The winter of discontent sweeping across the Arab world and elsewhere might be many things, but it is certainly no surprise.
One can blame a range of factors for the protest movements that have sprung up from Morocco to Iran, which have deposed two Arab rulers thus far and obliged two others to declare they won’t run for re-election.

The explanations of why the unrest has exploded are many, ranging from the pages of Facebook to the prices of key commodities. To this list can be added the culture of “yes men” who naturally flourish in authoritarian regimes, where no one has an interest in telling the head of state that he and his cronies are widely resented, or even despised. The warning signs were all there, and all that was needed was a catalyst, in the form of a suicide in Tunisia that quickly swept away what was seen as an unshakable regime.

For some rulers, there is little time left to correct the huge problems that have eroded their political legitimacy over the years. For others, it might be too late already. And any leader who wants to blame the whole “mess” on foreign conspiracies and secret agendas will have a hard time convincing the public, which is busy watching people rise up against the most staunchly pro-American, as well as the most anti-American, regimes in the Middle East.
To understand 2011, the year of popular uprisings in the region, it is largely irrelevant whether one focuses on questions of the middle class and poorer classes, or internet users and non-internet users.

Obviously, the youth aspect of the uprisings is a key factor, and it is unmasking a series of badly kept secrets in this part of the world: populations are overwhelmingly young, overwhelmingly frustrated, and overwhelmingly up to the challenge of doing what seemed impossible only a few months ago.

If authoritarian rulers have no reason to be surprised by the discontent among their young populations, they have every reason to be surprised that the angry masses, for the most part, have behaved credibly, admirably and astutely as they steer their protests.
There have been attempts to hijack these protests, and provoke the peaceful people who turn out in force to demand change. These have failed, up to now.

There have been attempts to smear the protests as foreign-inspired and aimed at sabotage, but protesters have stubbornly clung to slogans that demonstrate how far-sighted and patriotic they are. Their commitment to principles that have been mouthed in recent decades in all western capitals – transparency, democracy, individual freedoms and the rule of law – mean that no standing member in good of the international community can offer objections to what is taking place.
It is a time to watch, and learn.