Changing the Arab Landscape Through the Power of Protest



As I read my local newspaper, The Record, I note that they can no longer fit a full cover story about each of the protests going on in the Arab world. Instead, they must fit them all into a single column only offering a summary of the previous day's events. In my opinion, this tells me two things:

1) The quality of our local K-W newspaper is really starting to suck and,
2) The Arab world is in more chaos than it was after 9/11....which is a good thing.

Is that too bold to say? I don't think so. The unrest after 9/11 from labelling all Arabs as "terrorists" by North Americans led to huge controversies and issues within the Middle East. 9/11 seemed to awaken the giant that is the Arab people and the way they handle politics in their respective countries. Of course, this lead to nearly 10 years of "unrest" with daily reports of suicide bombings and mass arrests. After the first 5 years, you really stop caring. I know I did. These types of reports became just another day in my life and will probably be the events that define my teenage years.

Today, unlike the past 5 or so years, we need to pay attention to what is happening in the Middle East as these protests have will major political repercussions all over the world and might even change the landscape of the Arab world. One could even argue (and I agree with this) that the recent fall of Mubarak in Egypt has single-handily changed not only the Arab world but the international landscape as well. Imagine what this will mean for oil prices or other goods coming from the region as Egypt controls the Suez Canal. Sure, oil prices may be up and people in the Middle East may be dying as a result of the protests but I believe this is only a small price to pay as we work towards a better world.

So, this brings me to my main point: Is a better world attainable through protest? Is protest the answer to our problems? There is no easy answer. I would argue that it depend where you live and how many people are actually protesting. As we have seen, there have been large numbers of people calling for change which increases the pressure on the government. Recent examples in Libya and Yemen serve as quick examples. The articles (or summaries) that I have read always begin with "Thousands of protesters flood/stream into the capital city's main square/gathering place calling for an end..." The key is that you need thousands of people to support a cause before any change is made. Protests, especially in Arab countries with dictators or authoritarian governments, with only small numbers will not and cannot be affective. I hope these protests continue to get larger and hopefully, we will see the liberation of these Arab countries in the coming weeks or months. Protesting has already been proven to work in Egypt...it only takes one brick to fall before the whole wall crumbles.