BY MISHQA ROSSIER
The latest spread of uprisings in the Arab world has ignited Tunisia, Egypt Libya, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, and Yemen in its wake. The empowerment and upliftment of the people in these countries is palpable, with many Egyptians
claiming, after President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown, “Now I count…now I have dignity.”
“This uprising has completely altered the morale of the Arab world. For years Arabs have been very demoralised with their inability to deal with Israel, their inability to deal with dictators as well as issues of poverty, inequality and corruption but now the energy behind this movement is one of pride and liberation of the human soul,” independent researcher and Middle East expert, Professor Virginia Tilley told a community radio station in South Africa on Monday.
“I think this is the big tectonic shift in the Middle East. There is a new sense of empowerment, rights and dignity of the individual and of the group.”
Tilley stressed the sheer willpower and fearlessness of these previously oppressed nations who were once afraid to speak out. Instead they have now mobilised and taken to the streets to declare their disgust in the totalitarian regime they have lived under for decades.
“They are no longer afraid. It is a new generation that is simply not in awe of these leaders in the way their parents generation was. They [the youth] are less afraid and are ready to fight for their rights,” Tilley continued.
The professor added that ‘democracy’ has always been a loaded word as there have been many doubts surrounding it, especially in the Arab region. This is due to democracy being manipulated in Iraq and in the Palestinian authority. But she said this movement is absolutely a banner of democracy and it has transformed the world’s image of what it means to be an Arab. Tilley retorted that these uprisings and empowerment of the people alone is going to change the dynamics of the Israeli conflict.
“Israel has been rather quiet after Mubarak’s resignation. On the one hand Israel is very happy to have these dictators go if it means that the Islamic parties lose clout. They were previously worried that the dictators were so unpopular that the Islamic alternative would manifest as attractive. So in a way getting rid of Mubarak was good for Israel because the lid is off the pot. It is not going to explode and they (Israel) can help to control the future.”
Tilley explained another view is that Israel has not been quiet, but merely been keeping mum and not publically announcing their views. She believes that behind the scenes, Israel is driving massive lobbying and making contact with the military and Egypt to make sure the transition goes in the direction they want. “I think they are optimistic at this point that whatever comes is something they can control.”
She also stressed that the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions represent an evolutionary change for some Islamic movements too. “They have realised that an Islamic state may not be the Islamic state they prefer. They are also following the Lebanese example of participatory democracy which is the idea of a way to express Islamic values and philosophy without necessarily having to control the state.”
“I do think dictator’s days are numbered. This ‘president for life’ model for governance is something the people are not going to tolerate. The bigger question here is the complexities of such a transition. The great strength these uprisings has been that they did not have leaders, they were coalitions at best which made it impossible to crush. Thus the Powers (government) in the Arab world are going to be very anxious,” she said.
Mishqa Rossier is a qualified copywriter and ace “rock/paper/scissors” player who moonlights as a online writer for a local radio station.
