Beyond the Bubble

Unrest has continued to spread across the Middle East and North Africa since the popular revolution in Tunisia in January. Following the successful model that occurred Tunisia, protests have broken out in Libya, Iran, Yemen, Algeria, Gabon, Sudan, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Zimbabwe in recent weeks.

On Feb. 21 Libyan officials provided the most violent government-sponsored crackdown that the revolutionary wave has yet seen. Responding to week-long protests in major cities across the country, The New York Times reported “The faltering government of the Libyan strongman Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi struck back … as helicopters and warplanes besieged parts of the capital Monday.” The Times reported that such violence has already resulted in the deaths of over 200 citizens.

Employing non-military tactics prior to the revolt, el-Qaddafi has also used the media in an effort to scare his citizens into submission. “Playing down the (earlier) unrest,” The Times reported, “Colonel Qaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi went on state television to give a rambling, disjointed address about 1 a.m. on Monday. He blamed Islamic radicals and Libyans in exile for the uprising. He offered a vague package of reforms, potentially including a new flag, national anthem and confederate structure.”

In the broadcast, el-Qaddafi also threatened Libyan citizens with the prospect of civil war. He played up tribal and clan tensions, and urged citizens to realize that a civil war over oil resources would surely ensue if his father was removed from power.

Contrary to the desires of the government, these words did not have a placating effect on the populace, but rather excited an outpouring of anger from citizens. This fury was harnessed and taken to the streets by way of protests, and was met by the government-sponsored militia who began to fire on protestors.

While not wholly representative of all of the protests and government measures undertaken in each countries embroiled in conflict in the region, the Libyan case can be examined to show some of the conditions that have fostered such revolutions.

Firstly, the government is the opposite of a liberal democracy. The current ruler, Colonel Qaddafi, took power in 1969 and has ruled Libya ever since. Employing the popular strategies used by other North African rulers, the Colonel has encouraged a cult of personality, and has used a network of family and tribal allegiances to maintain his grip on power. The autocrat has also fostered the oil producing sector is his nation to increase his own personal wealth.

Beneath the ruler is a populace that has been unable to influence its government in nearly 40 years. They are young and educated, but have no means to provide for themselves. Unemployment is rampant, and these individuals are facing an increasingly bleak future as food prices rise, and their job prospects remain stagnant. These citizens also feel unrepresented by their government, led by an octogenarian ruler who has been wholly unresponsive to their desires, al Jazeera reported.

These people have seen that government change can happen by way of peaceful protests. They are emboldened with a revolutionary spirit, and they are demanding political change.

While it is unclear whether or not Libyan protestors will continue to battle with the government in the face of the increasing violence, their actions have been influenced by, and will continue to influence the actions undertaken by similar groups in other regional states.