New phase of Arab Spring - Kuwaittimes by Muna Alfuzai Many of us applauded the Arab Spring several years ago, but a number of Arab intellectuals and writers are wondering today what has been accomplished on the ground in terms of achievements for the benefit of the people? Has the Arab Spring achieved its purpose? And what was the purpose? What was the goal of the Arab revolutions? Was it to achieve a better future on the lines of the French Revolution or tear apart homelands, creating an endless number of refugees and causalities? In 2011, several authoritarian regimes fell in the wave of the Arab Spring, and several rulers and their associates left behind countless people who had never practiced democracy or freedom of speech and had lived for years in false stability, serving the rulers and the West’s policy. These people faced problems including poverty, social injustice, violence, unemployment and crime, with the emergence of new terrorist cells. Chaos and civil conflicts are a natural result. We are now in the throes of a new stage and we will witness many losses until the completion of what I’m seeing is the second phase of the Arab Spring. Sectarian conflicts, especially Shiite-Sunni divisions, can lead to states formed on the basis of sectarianism, and this is very disturbing and destructive to everyone’s interest including the West in the long run. The new phase of this Spring is the most dangerous. The Middle East faces daunting challenges related to its existence and a geographical divide in light of global inequality and floundering in dealing with this explosive region. The West claims that the Middle East is complicated. This is a normal reaction. The West never had a long-term strategy on how to deal with the aftermath of dictatorships, therefore the results were disastrous. An example of this is that some its citizens have become terrorists and fled the country. What is the West’s policy toward foreign terrorists? It’s one of the outstanding issues without clear answers or action plans. The Arab Spring depends on the three powers in the region - Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The lifting of economic sanctions on Iran will contribute to easing social protests as Saudi Arabia’s victory over the Houthis in Yemen will create stability in the Gulf region. If the objective of the Arab Spring is democracy, then we need to say that the Arab Spring has so far has not entirely succeeded in producing an alternative that achieves full democratization. But it surely brought a radical change in the Arab reality. The challenges of change need unity among the Arab peoples and the recognition of the principles of pluralism - religious, sectarian and political, especially. To be continued .... By Muna Al-Fuzai [email protected] |
