Change Spreads In The Middle East
Photo by Tim Beach
Uprisings in the Arab world have spread so quickly, it has been hard to keep up with Middle East news. After years of living under tyrannical regimes, opposition groups banded together in protest and to overthrow their leaders. How these changes will affect the future has yet to be determined.
For international news organizations like CNN and BBC World News Middle East revolts have been a source of constant headlines. It all started in January in Tunisia with a fruit seller named. Muhammad Bouazizi. Unable to find work and harassed by government officials, doused himself with gas and set himself on fire. This self-immolation touched off uprisings that forced Tunisian president Ben Ali to give up power.
Tensions spread to Egypt where young unemployed people started new protests. Technology and social media helped spread the unrest as Egyptians keeping track of Middle East news online joined the rallies against the government. The movement became so widespread; thousands took to the streets in Cairo. President Mubarak refused to relinquish power initially, trying to make concessions to appease the opposition. Dissent only worsened and Mubarak eventually abdicated.
The latest Middle East news has had reports of protests in Yemen and Bahrain. These have been met by military crackdowns by the governments of those countries. In Bahrain, protesters occupied and reoccupied Pearl Square in the capital city of Manama as a rallying point for protests. In other parts of the region, Middle East latest news reports show some countries being proactive in preventing revolts. Saudi Arabia has put up $37 billion to stave off unrest.
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Civil war seems to have descended on Libya. Opposition groups began armed conflict against supporters of leader Muammar Qaddafi throughout the country. Western countries started to become involved in the conflict with the United Nations implementing a no fly zone. On March 19, United States and allied nations launched military strikes against air defense targets. In the most current Middle East news, NATO will take the leadership role in future military action. How the U.N. and western powers will deal with Middle East affairs in the future remains uncertain.
It is still too early to know what kind of a long-term impact the unrest will have on the Arab world. Middle East current news reports state that revolts continue in Yemen and now are occurring in Syria and Jordan. The price of oil continues near record highs because of the turmoil. Temporary coalition governments struggle to develop new regimes from the ground up. With peaceful cooperation and persistence, it could be a new and better future.