While the whole of the Middle East is engulfed in a storm referred to as an “Awakening”, this storm has turned out to harbour radicalism and extremism rather than improving ordinary people's lives. What began with overthrowing dictatorship and demanding the rule of law and democracy has turned into a struggle where minimal security and basic needs have been denied. Libya lacks central power, Egypt may enter a second revolution, Syria has become a battleground of international fighters, and Lebanon is about to burst into another civil war. What a glorious picture! I recall four years ago at a luncheon with foreign diplomats when Iranians were protesting en masse the results of the presidential elections and oppressive force in general being asked whether a revolution was underway in Iran. I was passionate but an Afghan diplomat wisely observed that security is of paramount importance: “To close your door and sleep in your home without fear, to send your mother to the market to shop without risk of explosions — this is what matters. You don't understand what I am talking about because your country is safe.” He warned, “Please don't ruin it. Change will come when people have stability and safety. Look at us: we dream of living like you in Iran.” I left the function in deep thought. I had been in Afghanistan several times and knew what he was talking about. By contrast, I am always amazed seeing how Pakistanis kill each other in blind explosions in markets or buses, or in Iraq when people are killing others in religious ceremonies. I wonder what objective they feel they achieve when they target innocent people in the street. But it seems this awakening has had the same effect, awakening radicalism rather than improving standards of living and granting greater opportunities to all sects, groups and ethnicities. Many parts of the country are starting to resemble the insecure regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and unfortunately there is no end in sight. I meet people from Libya and Egypt, places that have undergone a revolution. I meet Syrians in Dubai who have fled the conflict but are upset with the unknown elements fighting in their country, creating sectarian violence. I meet with Lebanese who are worried that the war in Syria will spill over into their country. The seeds of this sectarian and religious violence were first implanted in Iraq after the US invasion in 2003, and later spread to the region. A demonstration to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime has evolved into a civil war based on sectarian lines, becoming impossible to manage. Many groups in Syria fight one another and the government. Who should the international community speak to in order to bring peace to Syria? The world will not care if the war in Syria spreads to Lebanon and if Shias and Sunnis eat each other alive. The Middle East is no longer important to the world as it was some years ago; otherwise, the international community would have reacted faster and sooner to contain the war in Syria. An international conference to find a political solution to the Syria crisis is not likely to be held this month, the joint special representative of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said 25 June. “Frankly now, I doubt whether the conference will take place in July,” Brahimi said at the UN headquarters in New York City at a press briefing. There is a rumour circulating in the UN that Brahimi will resign if the international conference does not take place before September. Brahimi was put in charge when former secretary-general Kofi Annan resigned from the position. According to Reuters, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, now in his second and final term, is increasingly worried that he may be remembered as the man who failed in Syria, UN diplomats told Reuters. He has even considered stepping in himself to try to broker a peace deal if Brahimi throws in the towel, envoys added. Time is not only running out for Brahimi, but also for those of us who are living in the region and failing to be good to one another.
