With unrest sweeping over the Middle East, we here at home are left to wonder how it will all turn out and how it is going to affect us all in the long run. The region is notoriously unstable and for the last thirty years or so there has been an uneasy peace between the nations there and Israel but as governments keep falling and the people of those nations clamor for democracy we are left to ponder the question of what happens if they elect people who are anti-American or even supportive of violence.
This threat may be justifiable given the election of Hezbollah in Lebanon in majority elections and other indications that some of the protestors do harbor anti-American sentiments. However the people who seem to be revolting in these countries all seem to be young, well-educated and thus far secular. They are mostly frustrated college students and graduates who are being exposed to the social media revolution and feeling the pressure to claim their own freedom.
The reason that these dictators were able to hold on to power for so long was the virtual lock down of culture that occurred. Things were censored and the media was tightly controlled. As the inevitable revolutions of the Internet along with Facebook and Twitter came along the governments in the Middle East could no longer keep their populations under control by telling them that they had the best system. People began to see how we all live here and how people in the west have the freedom to choose our representation and also were able to finally connect and voice their discontent together and organize themselves. There are some who said that the Middle East is not ready for democracy and that they cannot have a successful democratic government until they want it for themselves. This, I believe, is the truth. It is hard to tell someone to accept democracy, even if it is the best option for them. Until they grow frustrated with their nation and how their lives are they will never truly put their hearts into any effort to push for democracy.
If the West’s ultimate aim is to bring democracy to the region, the best way to do that is to pressure the Middle East to allow its citizens access to the Internet and the right to protest. Some countries in the Middle East might be ready for democracy, but are we ready to see that in the region? Take Bahrain for example: the U.S Navy’s Fifth Fleet is stationed there and patrols and projects its power in a region where 40 to 50 percent of the world’s oil is shipped through. Bahrain has taken a brutal approach to its citizens protesting. They are being shot down in the streets and in Libya the government is reportedly using attack helicopters, mortars, tanks and artillery against protestors who are un-armed. The United States is in a tough position since it’s a very dynamic situation they have to be condemning of the violence and at the same time watch the region for any major instability that crops up.
Whatever the long-term effects on us at home, we can only hope that the people in the Middle East decide to take the path of peace and secular government. However, what we can learn from the protestors is once again that staying peaceful and voicing your opinion can make a difference. Some times all it takes is one person. The man in Tunisia who set himself on fire sparked the revolution there and that spread to Egypt. The sad incident with Representative Elizabeth Giffords showed us what can happen when the atmosphere in the nation becomes hostile and people start subtly advocating violence. People who are unstable may take this rhetoric from both sides and act on it.
If we at home are unhappy with something going on, we should not sit around and hope others fix it for us. We should participate in our government, vote for those that share our values, exercise our right to peacefully assemble and use our freedom of speech.
