Game Over/Start

Game Over

The images of jubilation surrounding Colonel Gaddafi's death has me feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Not that I am a supporter, a sympathiser or in anyway connected to Libya. The truth is it is for the Libyans to decide who runs their country and for them to define how they fit within the the Arab world and the global community. My feelings stem from what I see as the hypocrisy of the attitudes of the external forces who have a hand in Gaddafi's demise. When the mob and not the law decides who lives and dies, and the West looks on and applauds, I feel a sense of deep regret. 

Gaddafi's legacy will remain mixed.  His beginnings were reportedly fairly humble and he came to embody a revolutionary zeal when he assumed power in 1969. This included an unprecedented rise in Libyan living standards during his leadership - the highest in Africa -  though somewhere during the course of his 42 years in power, passion and reality parted and he was increasingly seen as disconnected and at times brutal. That lack of grip on reality perhaps proved fatal because there was clearly a time for him to step away.

There is always wisdom in some thoughtful modesty.

Start

Right now Libya is in the hands of the National Transitional Council - they represent the 'new' Libya, but of course, Gaddafi had been on the run for several weeks before he was lynched. The civil war that led to the circumstances around his killing has occurred under the 'watch' of the NTC with the support of foreign players. This perhaps is the part that causes most discomfort. 

Once the jubilation over Gaddafi's death is over, what next? Will Libya find peace with itself after a national election? Or will it become another in a long list of countries where factions jostle to undermine one another? Civil war may not happen at all, but the evidence from around the world has proved that violent ends to dictators do not necessarily pave the way to stability. The rebellion in Libya remember, is still armed. Even in the more peaceful transition towards post-Mubarak Egypt, some of the hope and promises are yet to materialise.

And so the Arab Spring claims yet another. In the end Allah wills what Allah wills but what of Gaddafi? Friend or foe? Jubilation or mourning? 

I can't help feeling that if we are ready to 'celebrate' the deaths of 'dictators' because of the misery they cause, what of people who are styled as 'democrats' but equally responsible for misery and destruction? Aren't they in the frame as well? There were many who supported, but U-turned when it suited them. When it comes to lives lost and blood spilt as result of their actions, Gaddafi is not on his own. There are very few who are truly clean.

Fall of the Pharaoh: Umm Al Dunya

Umm Al Dunya

 

And so the Pharoah in Egypt falls after a 30 year grip on power. I may be forgiven for referring to Hosni Mubarak as a Pharoah, but see a Pharoah, was NOT just a despotic Emperor King who was considered a deity. The word Pharoah referred to a Great House. Does the Great House still hold power? When a House falls, crushed by the weight of its age and ruin, another one can be built in its place. But in Egypt do we see a  rebuilding or another Pharaoh King moving into the Great House? Right now the military has moved in so not much changes; later, perhaps, the old house can be demolished and a new one built by the will of the people.

The Egyptians call their country Umm Al Dunya - Mother of the World.  An ancient cradle of civilisation, social order, technology and writing. There will be many who in years to come will look back at how in 2011 the Egyptian Pharaoh of Old was brought down by a technology and social media of new - Twitter/Blogger/Facebook and the like. Now here's where I do get to see close up what is happening - I know people and have spoken with them, both in person and through electronic communications that this Egyptian revolution is an e-revolution of a kind.

I wonder about the transferability of the UAE model - it's a "minus democracy" model that isn't perfect, but evidently people coming in see prosperity, internationalism, relative freedom and hope. In many ways this is what the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions were about right? Hope itself? That, I pray, is the message that the people in our Arab neighbourhood carry in the months and years to come.

Fall of the Pharaoh: Walk Like An Egyptian

The Pharaoh's House is in Ruins and the political rumbling in the neighbourhood is that of the need for reform in the Arab world.

I must confess, that whilst living in the Arab world, I am not personally expert in the various political movements - the underground conversations, the enmity, the political oppression/suppression and the like that exists. That doesn't mean that I don't know it exists or that there isn't real tension in the Arab world. I have, rather narrowly I guess, come across old loyalties - loyalty to the "king" and not face-to-face with his opposition.

It is interesting to compare, however, what is happening is Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and what has raised its head in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Algeria with the UAE. This is, perhaps, not untypical. A key aspect of life in the Gulf is to not speak. I know many expat Arabs hanging on to jobs for whom lifestyle and privilege dull the sense of 'fight' and the need to speak is slowly lost. 

See here, Emiratis are well looked after by the state. The UAE is also remarkably free - not everything goes, but pretty much a lot does. The print media is relatively free in fact; there are boundaries - every society has them, but mostly they do not affect middle class personal pursuits. Abayas and Kanduras are the national dress, and there is an expectation that for official business national dress for the locals will happen, but away from officialdom, even the Abayas are a genuine haute couture fashion industry in themselves. Life in the UAE is about opportunity for the Emiratis, a short history of transformation of the old desert culture to a new modern lifestyle and hope. 

Hope is key - the best universities are being brought in, new malls and hotels are being built, new technologies are being trialed, all the modern utilities are available at the touch of a button, money is splashed around and consumerism is embedded in the culture - American-style fast food, shopping etc. all mixed up with the international crossroads that the UAE has become. The UAE is a paternalistic society with most Emiratis and white collar expats being looked after; western-sytle democracy is not how it has worked here since the union was established in 1971. With the opportunities and lifestyle on offer, the question is not one that is a foremost request. There are the voices of caution, yes, but right now the UAE is riding on a crest of self-confidence, freedom to live a modern lifestyle and future hope.

So what of Egypt? Right now the sands in the Arab desert landscape are shifting. The Egyptians do not live with the same prosperity as the Emiratis, and therefore politics perhaps matters even more. Here's where the paths diverge. Emiratis walk their own walk, proud of their leadership and what the Sheikhs have done for them, deeply loyal and full of hope; whilst the Tunisians, the Yemenis and the Egyptians, skeptical, outcast and disillusioned walk a very different walk.