I have been meaning to talk to you. Oh, if I could only talk to you. If you could only see what is happening. I am sure you can, wherever you are. See how everything seems to be falling apart. Everything that you built, everything that you gave me, what you asked me to take care of before you left, what belongs to us. Nothing seems to be like it used to… Continue reading “Father, Where Art Thou?”
Cost Analysis of Change
While political scientists rush to give predictions on the effects of the Arab Revolution on the future of the region, and sociologists determine the most effective ways for the revolutionaries to deal with their newfound freedom, economists have now jumped on board with their calculations, equations and cost analyses of the recent developments. Continue reading “Cost Analysis of Change”
This Revolution Continues
I could say that the highlight of the past weeks was the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Yemeni political and human rights activist Tawakul Karman, the first Arab woman to receive the honor. I could also say the highlight were the worldwide demonstrations against government corruption and corporate greed, spearheaded by the Occupy Wall Street movement, as a testament to the success of the “Arab Spring tactics” they claim to follow. We witnessed the Israeli-Palestinian prisoner exchange, which despite its broader political implications, released many who were imprisoned merely for being Palestinian. Then again, how could I not mention Libya, whose people, with NATO support, did not relent in chasing their lunatic Colonel until the very last “zenga,” hiding like the rat he called his people to be. Continue reading “This Revolution Continues”
Laws of Motion
Sir Isaac Newton once noted that “every body persists in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by force impressed.” Also known as the first of his three Laws of Motion, Newton’s basic idea is that an object that is not moving or moving in a constant speed in a straight line will stay like that until something pushes it or blocks its path. And for as much as I have been observing, reading about and analyzing Arab uprisings these days, I haven’t found a more simple explanation for them as this. Continue reading “Laws of Motion”
The End of a Revolution
“In a revolution, as in a novel, the most difficult part to invent is the end.”
– Alexis de Tocqueville
In a revolution, the beginning should not be marked by the first calls to mobilize against the existing order, but as the fruits of mobilization translate into concrete action to transform given the defeated order. The end, therefore, is the culmination of implemented change with a clear vision for the new, and hopefully better, order. Continue reading “The End of a Revolution”
When Bullets No Longer Kill
A lot has been written, is being written, and will be written on the 2011 Arab Revolutions: the surreal way in which one country after the other finally gave in to the will of the people, the way preemptive reform proved a futile tactic of political systems to gain the time they no longer controlled, the way dictators fled in shame as all their ill-gotten wealth could no longer buy them the power they still vied for. But more importantly, there is the People… Continue reading “When Bullets No Longer Kill”
A Conspiracy by the People
Not every call for freedom will result in improved political and civil liberties. Not every call for an end to corruption will result in greater prosperity. Not every cry for justice will result in the release of those unfairly detained. But when there is a call, someone must listen… Continue reading “A Conspiracy by the People”
From Man-Made Revolutions to Nature’s Deadly Wrath
As closely as I have been following the events in Libya, hoping the country will avoid falling into a civil war and manage to overthrow the lunatic colonel once and for all. As I assume it is only a matter of days until Yemen becomes yet another example of the failures of preemptive reform. Continue reading “From Man-Made Revolutions to Nature’s Deadly Wrath”
The Failures of Preemptive Reform
The Tunisian Revolution took the world by surprise. That very same revolution took the Middle East and North African world by storm. The desperate act of a courageous ordinary young man, ending his existence in the same way he had always seen his life go by, slowly, painfully, modestly, unnoticed. At the end, he was not even able to enjoy the fruits of his own sacrifice. Others would, while others watched… Continue reading “The Failures of Preemptive Reform”
Arab Nationalism?
I never believed in Arab nationalism. Continue reading “Arab Nationalism?”
Eye on the East 