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| Yemeni President Ali Saleh |
The protests in the Middle East are spreading like a wild fire threatening to engulf the whole region, check that, the whole world. After the success of Egypt protests, every capital from the Gulf of Eden to the Atlantic Coast is seeing at least some level of protests. I have put together a “what is going on where” brief to give you a quick snapshot of how this historical event is unfolding. If you haven’t already, read the previous two briefs (here and here) by this blog because this one tries not to repeat those points.
Yemen
Worst-hit of all the countries as of now, thousands of protesters continued to march on the street for a sixth consecutive day. The protests are not just contained in the Yemeni capital – Sana’a – but have spread to other cities like Aden and Taiz, a very similar pattern to the Egyptian protests. Thousands of pro-regime protesters (including policemen in plain clothes) have showed up and clashed with the original protesters in the capital. While the three-decade-long Yemeni dictator Ali Saleh has promised not extend his presidency after 2013, there seem to be no takers for his offer.
Unrest level: High
Bahrain
A surprise entry to the quickly-growing list of Arab regimes under protests is Bahrain’s government headed by Sheikh Al-Khalifa, the king’s uncle. While the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1971 it has been by the Sheikh since then. The unrest has continued for three consecutive days and at least two protesters have been killed. A major cause of protests has been the fact that the ruling family of Sunnis has been discriminating against Shia majority of the country. Protesters claim that the government has been giving citizenship to foreign Sunnis to change the demographic balance. In a completely transparent attempt to pacify the population, the government has promised to give US$ 2,650 to every family in country. If that doesn’t work, I don’t know what will.
Unrest level: Considerable
Iraq
Like the country did not have enough trouble already, it was also roped into the protest fever. At least three people have been killed in the protests that are not taking place in Baghdad but in the southern province of Wasit. The protesters attacked many government buildings and burned down some of them. The protesters are against corruption and demanding basic services like electricity. The protests seem to be localized as of now, only targeted against the provincial governor. But given the unstable government (it took Iraqi parliament five months to choose one in 2010) and the rampant corruption, the protests may take a wider scope.
Unrest level: Minor
Iran
Iran saw revival of the old protests which had gripped the country last year. Thousands of protesters (pro and anti-regime) have clashed in Tehran resulting in two deaths. The protests were originally organized by two main opposition leaders in the country, who have now been put under house arrests and are now being threatened with execution by political leaders. In a completely astonishing move, the Iranian regime has decided to fight fire with fire. They have called for a “day of hatred” on Friday for the people to express their anger against the opposition movement. It seems that the regime is hoping to capitalize on the pro-regime protesters and intimidate the anti-government people by a show of force.
Unrest level: Considerable
Libya
Even Colonel Gaddafi, the longest serving dictator in the Middle East, was not impervious to the juggernaut of Arab World Protests. Libyans on the internet have called for a day of protests on 17 February but some hundred early birds have already taken over the streets of the Libyan city of Benghazi. Gaddafi’s rule has been ruthless and brutal and most Libyans know that the protests can very well end with each and every one of them disappearing forever. Nevertheless, some 2000 in Benghazi have shown courage. It remains to be seen rest of the country follows the suit.
Unrest level: Minor
In Algeria and Jordan the situation remains the same, with sporadic protests but no new development.
For a complete coverage of DoT's take on the Arab World Protests click here.
This was very nicely typed up
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