The 2011 Government: An American Ward

The Arab countries have recently witnessed a wave of overwhelming popular uprisings that have swept streets and overrun cities, rejecting the rulers and their rules, heart and soul, without exception. The revolutions occurred simultaneously; after the first one broke out in Tunisia and was successful, the revolution contagion of the young contaminated most tyrant-controlled states: Yemen, Egypt, Libya and Algeria. Even the Persian Gulf states, known as monarchy-ruled states and economically stable, have been affected by the uprising fever. As such, Bahrain has faced the strong will of the people to change state policy during the past few days. The spark that ignited the people was that young man who immolated himself as a sacrifice for the people of Tunisia, which turned out afterwards to become the beacon inspiring all peoples seeking to be set free from the shackles of dictatorships and corrupt regimes, today in the territory of Arabs and tomorrow in that of non-Arabs. The winds of censure have swept the whole region and even reached Iran, which is beyond the scope of the Arab states. Rather, it is outside the scope of despotism and totalitarianism, and is in want of political reforms; thus, it can be influenced by the wave of youth rebellions emerging from the Middle East. Tunisia, thus, ranks first in the liberation process, was speedily joined by Egypt, which did not wait long to book a seat on the changing table. Who is the next to join the group of nations of the modern era?

The revolutions coincided with each other successively, seamlessly ongoing, national, popular, youth-led and spontaneous. They were not organized by any party, were not led by any political entity, nor were they called for by any faction; rather, they were actuated by a group of deprived and oppressed citizens, whose rights were denied and personal and civil freedoms violated. However, all this remains vague to a certain extent: was there anyone who had caused these matters to attain this point of advance planning and external trigger? Or did the events occur by the will of a people revolting against a bitter reality? Was Ben Ali’s escaping outside the country and his alienation of the government and authority the outcome of the ongoing events or were they plotted at night? The deployment of the army in Egypt without their taking any decisive action, either in repelling the demonstrators on the one hand or the seizing of power by the other, failed to comply with either the demands the government or that of the people to resolve the matter early, even though the reins were within their hands. So, is it too late now and is the matter just the outcome of the circumstances? Or has the issue been rendered so under an order or instructions that are foreign in any way?

Obama blessed the Arab revolutions and then blessed the different countries in the world which have changed and claimed to set up new regimes and new rulers abruptly and without warning, which raised doubts and suspicion as to the change in the well-known official position of the U.S. administration vis-a-vis its former allies. But the deadly surprise is that of the allies themselves, steeped up to their ears in the assurances of Big Brother, who have disclaimed both declared and undeclared promises. Are Ben Ali’s forced flight and Mubarak’s voluntary departure the reaction to their peoples’ actions, or merely a U.S. message to the rulers of the peoples? Behind the wave of change that pervades the countries of the region, is the U.S. administration’s new strategy in the region to change old regimes and institute new ones? Or is Obama’s modern policy to assign a new road map not only for Palestinians but for all Arabs? Is what is happening the real intention of the political reforms that America, the sponsor of democracy, plans for the Arab world? Or is it a prelude to putting up new pillars to create new-style regimes loyal to the government of the United States and its allies, to be U.S.-made 2011 Arab government models…