These coming days we've come to witness the materialization of a shift in the political climate. Yes, within a year we've seen two Arab Presidents ousted by masses of un-relentless protests; as demonstrations and governments are beginning to be put into check. Citizens are getting the confidence they never had before to speak out. Fear of oppression, brutal violence and arbitrary arrests no longer suppress the peoples rage and determination to speak the truth and ask for their fundamental social and political rights. The citizenry in the middle east no longer holds the iconic representation of the backward, undemocratically motivated 'Orient', incapable in handling democracy in its full intensity.
But, while revolutions have engaged a major political shift in the region, there is still a lot more to peddle through to win the race of democratization. Educated youth are digging through years, if not decades of built-up corruption, and intricate webs of political chaos and nefarious leaders. Egypt is still going through the battle to trail figures that for years have cheated the country of its ultimate resources; Mubarak and his progeny no doubt are only the icing on the cake. Likewise, Tunisia is still trying to hold Ben-Ali accountable for the billions of dollars in assets held abroad. Tunisia, the inspiration in the region, continues to tread through it's revolutionary tide, towards a progressive democratically based state, that is not hijacked by the old-regimes political apparatus.
Close by, Bahrainis continue to be shut down by the monarchy; Yemen's president just won't let go of his throne as violence, arrests and false promises predicates the streets of San'a; Syria's minority regime continues to blame foreign powers in raging the streets of Damascus, as women, children and youth are shot down mercilessly, while thousands have either disappeared or are detained illegally; and Libya's Gadaffi continues to destructively break its country to pieces.
While recently in Palestine and around the world, Palestinians commemorated the 63rd Nakba - catastrophe - where the world saw a wave of demonstrators unlike years before it; and soon, we will be seeing another wave of demonstrators on June 5th, to mourn another tragic event in the Palestinians plight. Predictions of a third-intifada creep closer, as frustrations mount and promises continue to be unfulfilled.
All the while, Obama engages us with one of his hollywood-like speeches, that screams to be made into an oscar-winning movie, of inauspicious declarations, and promises that only seem to frustrate the Arab public. And Obama's "yes we can" moto only leaves us hating the US a little less from the Bush-era, unfortunately, the political rhetoric is always moved by the same strings, powered by the hands that allude our minds of self-controlled social democracy. Afterall, Obama did kill Osama, but only after a decade of a destructive military invasion in Afghanistan.
It's not ironic that within the same week of reconciliation by Fatah and Hamas, Obama's hopes of a return to the 1967 borders are only shattered by Israel, and only further coated by Obama's following speech at AIPAC that Israel will not be bullied, as it's big-brother vows to protect and veto any opposition towards them. It's also not ironic, that Israel's willingness to blatantly violate international law is easily brushed aside, as normality hinders the media in raising a claim against what is right and what is wrong.
Inasmuch as we'd like to foretell what comes next in the world of international affairs, analysts and "think-tanks" are hard at work to predict what will happen. Ultimately, politics in its entirety is static, binding us to the repercussions of fallible leaders, that dictate events so fluidly, it often leaves us questioning our very belief system (is it really some sort of conspiracy theory??.. ) . Time has definitely created a shift in the winds that push politics forward, where corporate and strategic interests are moving more aggressively and shamelessly in every effort to remain strong and attain (and maintain) their power.
The wave of protests are not coming to an end, organizers, political activists, youth groups, opposition parties, etc. are organizing, planning and coordinating for whatever awaits them in the coming political spaces. Time seems to transpire what tic tocs in the pockets of its sleeves, as we watch incessantly (and exhaustively) to what lies ahead.
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