CAIRO - For the first time since post-colonial independence, a genuine popular revolution has succeeded in bringing down two dictatorships in the Arab world, and in such a spectacular manner that it has caught most governments in the region by surprise. That this popular uprising has now spread across the region shows that it is not simply a product of specific local conditions. Indeed, the nature of the state system in the Arab world, which has endured for the past four decades, is no longer sustainable and is showing all the signs of the decay and self-destruction that are bringing it down from inside. What has happened in Tunisia and Egypt is nothing short of a seismic change in the political landscape of the region and local political dynamics. The scenario in these two countries has highlighted an alternative roadmap for change that is conceived and delivered largely through authentic, local civil movements. This roadmap is now spreading to many other Arab countries. Of course, the manifestations of change in each country will play out differently as there are context-specific realities that might engender particular courses of action and political outcomes for each country. But, as the rapid escalation in Libya shows no regime is immune to the revolutionary bug, those trying desperately to offer concessions before they face their own version of this irresistible political tsunami do so in vain. All the regimes in the Middle East used to deny the people's right to participate in forming their own political life. The people were only allowed to say “yes” or “of course”. Many of the regimes in the Middle East are headed by dictators who were/have been ruling for the past two or three decades. Ben Ali of Tunisia ruled for nearly 23 years and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt for 30 years, while Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Ali Abdallah Saleh of Yemen have ruled for 42 and 32 years respectively. Politically, apart from the length of their rule, their regimes are characterised by the stifling of voices of protest and dissent. Political reforms are so vital because emergency laws have been in place for years and opposition parties are not allowed to function. This dictatorial stranglehold on power has also helped the ruling classes continue with their unbridled economic exploitation of the people, the working class in particular. Many of these countries are rich in resources, especially in carbon reserves. The fortune accrued from their trade is pocketed by the few rich oligarchs, while the majority of the people are living in poverty. The rich are growing richer, the poor, poorer. The current global financial crisis has accentuated the sufferings of the common people in the Arab region and triggered these protests. Egypt and Jordan, the blue-eyed nations of the IMF and the World Bank, have implemented the prescribed economic reforms and are deeply integrated with the global economy. The crisis has had a devastating impact in these two countries, as 3 million people in Egypt and 500,000 in Jordan are employed directly in the financial sector. Unemployment has increased and prices of essential commodities, particularly food, have risen sharply, adding to people's hardships. In Tunisia, the unemployment rate is officially 14 per cent, but the percentage of graduates without work is about two times higher. In Egypt, the rallies have come against a backdrop of growing anger over widespread poverty and unemployment. The workers have joined these protests, adding their demand for a higher minimum wage. Nearly half of Egypt's 80 million people live below or just above the poverty line, set by the United Nations at $2 a day. Poor-quality education and healthcare, and high unemployment have left millions of Egyptians deprived of their basic needs. In Yemen, more than half of the population lives below the poverty line of $2 a day and do not even have access to proper sanitation. There too, growing food prices have added to the grievances of the people. The overall picture in the region, with the early successes of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions, is providing unequivocal evidence that the Arab people are hungry for the universal values of dignity, justice and freedom. This hunger is no less potent than that of Eastern Europeans or South Americans.
