Two weeks ago, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to leave his home country after he was gravely injured from a failed assassination attempt.
Youthful protesters cheered upon learning the news, hoping that this would be the third regime change triggered by a "wave of democratization" in the Middle East, a phenomenon commentators dubbed the "Arab Spring." Most, if not all, of the countries in the Middle East are under the rule of families of rich "dictators."
Earlier this year, Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was forced to leave Tunisia, after riots and protests escalated. From there, the winds of change blew across the region. Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak resigned from office due to popular clamor, while protesters continue to rally in other parts of the region.
Commentators point to two factors that drive the Arab Spring: demography and access to ICT. Sixty percent of the Middle East population is below 30 years old. Through access to various social media like the Internet and television channels abroad, they have witnessed lives seemingly free from the oppression they see and experience at home. And through the same tools that opened their eyes to other possibilities, Middle East's youth started pushing for change. E-mails, chatrooms, websites, etc. have become avenues to have their voices heard, and to facilitate action.
It will be even more fascinating to see how social media can facilitate transitional justice and the establishment of democratic institutions in the Middle East. After all, overthrowing a government seems like a piece of cake, compared to introducing entire nations (who have long been used to authoritative rule) the concept of democracy, and them actually running their governments under that principle.
-- Ma. Alexandria Ixara B. Maroto, first post
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