The Middle East is on fire (allegedly)

The past month has seen a remarkable turn of events in the world. The people have taken to the streets to protest in countries where such things are usually frowned upon, except when they have been orchestrated by government agencies against some external "enemy". This time, the people have been protesting against internal matters.


While from the outside it seems that these popular uprisings are aimed primarily at removing dictators (however apparently benign) from their entrenched positions of power, this is not necessarily how it all began. The first protests which reached a critical mass were in Tunisia. Although these ultimately achieved the downfall of the President, the original stimulus was a combination of high unemployment (especially among the young) and increasingly high food prices. It is true that even western, high-income countries are suffering from similar economic issues. However, in the west we are much more accustomed to regard these circumstances as impersonal, brought about by global or local 'market forces', and perhaps beyond the ability of government to remedy. Indeed, in some countries government is already regarded as having too much interference in the economy! In countries like Tunisia, this is not the case: government is often a key agent in determining prices, through the use of taxes and/or subsidies, and is therefore readily identified as the source of unemployment and unwelcome price rises.


Once events developed in Tunisia, there has been something of a domino effect, of which the protests in Egypt, Libya and Bahrain have been the most high profile. There have been protests in Iran as well, although the government there has clamped down on them in its usual ruthless manner, and worked hard to prevent news of such events leaking to the outside world. Of course, although it is essentially a Muslim country, Tunisia is not in the Middle East; it is in north Africa, on the coast of the Mediterranean. Only Bahrain, and perhaps Iran can truly be said to lie in the Middle East. But whatever the geographical location, a large number of Muslim countries under dictatorship are finding the ground shifting under their feet.


While Tunisia and Egypt have seen the status quo completely ruptured, there is still a long way to go before full closure occurs, with new (democratic) government institutions in place. Things elsewhere are not yet at such an advanced stage, with Libya looking rent asunder by civil war. Protests in other places, such as Jordan, have been much more mild, seeking reforms of a more minor nature. But whichever way one views the world, there appears to be an increasing thirst for democracy. And this can surely be no surprise. Once the people of a country begin to experience degrees of economic affluence, brought about by economic growth, they will see to also achieve political affluence. This was also the case in eastern Europe (the former Soviet Union) in the late 1980s, and also countries like South Korea. Although the transition may have taken longer, this is also the tale of western Europe and north America. Economic growth leading to greater distribution of political power: democracy in whatever way, shape or form. 


And surely such 'revolutions' will ultimately reach all countries tainted by tyranny? Kim-Jong Il, Ahmedinejad, Qaddafi, and others of your ilk: take care. The world is watching, and waiting. Your downfall is a matter of when, not if.