Jasmine Revolutions

As most of you have probably seen on the news, North Africa and parts of the Middle East are in the midst of revolutions.  I am not sure what is being reported over there, but I have gotten several comments that those crazy “Islamic radicals” are the ones responsible for all the chaos.  This blog is to clear up any confusion regarding the revolutions that are happening in (sort of) our part of the world. 

A couple months ago, a young, unemployed, and economically frustrated man in Tunisia set himself on fire to end his life in protest of the lack of economic opportunities and years of hopelessness in Tunisia.  That brought a lot of attention to the economic problems that the majority of the population suffered from and sparked the first revolution in Tunisia.  These first protestors, most of whom had a lot in common with the young man who set himself on fire, went out into the streets to call for the current dictatorship to step down and make room for democracy so they can have a voice. 

These bold acts inspired Egypt, who suffers from similar issues, to take to the streets and call for their dictatorship to step down in the name of democracy as well.  These protestors were of the same or similar demographic as the protestors in Tunisia.  From there, it has snowballed and this contagious idea of revolt has spread like the flu to the entire North African region (Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya) and several parts of the Middle East (Bahrain, Yemen, and Iran) and people are trying to get the idea to catch in parts of China. 

The two major forces driving these “Jasmine” revolutions that these countries have in common is the lack of economic opportunity among the majority of the population, particularly with recently graduated college students who are more forthcoming with their grievances, in addition to a non-democratic form of government responsible for these causes of distress.  It is not the “radicals of Islam” who are causing or encouraging the protestors to take to the streets, causing all of this “chaos”; it is the desire of the people to make a better life for themselves. 

Some of the leaders have reluctantly respected their wishes and have, or are planning on, stepping down, such as Egypt and Tunisia.  Others have taken violent means to put down the protestors, such as in Libya.  Their leader has used fighter jets, among other things, to unsuccessfully silence the population and many have lost their lives for wanting a voice and a better life for themselves and their family. 

The United States has always been a proponent of democracy and has done their damndest to spread democracy to places such as these, who are now pulling for democracy as I write this.  Hopefully, this blog will clear up any confusion that “Islamic extremists” are the perpetrators of these revolutions.  Just because the protesters happen to live in a predominantly Muslim country doesn’t mean they are extremists.  They are people, just like us, who deserve a better life and are fighting for it.  As Americans who get the luxury of a vote, I encourage you to support them.  After all, we have been in their position before; we also once had a revolution that brought democracy and gave us a voice.