BY: Yasin Aktay
Exactly seven years ago, the Arab world was shaken by the great social movement expressing freedom, democracy and honor generating from the deepest folds of society. The name ‘’Arab Spring’’ was given to the revolutionary atmosphere created by this movement.
The Arab Spring started in Tunisia on Dec. 17, 2010 with a woman vendor named Bouazizi setting himself on fire after a female police slapped him. The people of Tunisia considered Bouazizi’s self-immolation as the last straw. Also, the people of Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria participated in the process triggered in Tunisia.
The most important stone of this Domino effect process was actually Egypt. With its historical, geographical and cultural location, as well as its population approaching 100 million, Egypt’s participation in this process has made Cairo the capital of the Arab Spring period.
On Jan. 25, 2011, Hosni Mubarak, who had been governing the country alone for 30 years, threw in the towel, thinking that he would not be able to resist the demands of young people for change with the slogan of “bread, honor and freedom.”
The same destiny was shared by Abdullah Salih, who ruled the country for 32 years in Yemen. Muammar Gaddafi, who had been in control of Libya for 40 years, thought he could resist against this wave by using force. This situation made the crowds angrier, and he paid for this stance with his life.
The wave also extended to Iran and Jordan, but these countries showed a more political attitude towards the demands of their people, and at first they have softened the waves with a response that took the demands into account. The waves did not continue. Undoubtedly, Syria was worst affected by this wave of social demand. Although the Syrian people wanted only some reforms in the first place; Assad, with the concern that this wave could take him, thought he could get rid of it by giving the most severe response with the advice given to him. With the help of Iran, Russia and the United States, who helped him on his way, he transformed his country into a killing ground. There is no one left to be ruled in his country, but he is still the head of his country.
Tomorrow is the 7th anniversary of the day that the Arab Spring in Egypt was concluded with a revolution.
Only two and a half years later, as a mediocre democracy began to emerge after the new constitutional process and the parliament and presidential elections, the Egypt spring turned into a heavy winter with the most bloody and cruelest coup d’etat of its history in early July 2013.
The former General Haftar, who was imported from America to Libya with the support of the Egyptian putschist and the UAE, also followed suit and ignited a division and civil war in Libya with the coup capturing the air force. Yemen was put in an even graver situation than before through the coup and civil war period by the unanimity of Houthi and Abdullah Saleh, who was supported by the same axis.
Considering Egypt, tomorrow, the seventh year of the people’s revolution, which will remain a hopeful memory in the minds and hearts, will be observed.
A scene about the latest situation: Former Chief of General Staff Sami Annan, who announced his candidacy against the military putschist Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Tuesday, was arrested yesterday only because of this move. It is quite well understood that despite the fact that Anan was chief of the general staff during Mubarak’s term, there was a fear that in the candidacy race he could obtain all the angry votes against Sisi and that he could overthrow Sisi through democracy. Of course, this could be true if there were a chance that honest elections could be conducted in a country governed by Sisi.
Due to the fact that the process called Arab Spring has reached this end; by looking at the results, this process is being interpreted as being planned from the beginning to reach this very end.
This result is not pleasant. But why do some of the rulers of the United States and Israel, or the rulers of the dictators of these countries, need to resort to this path to achieve today’s end?
Which of the old administrations disobeyed these masters? What kind of service does the rulers who govern these countries today offer more to their masters than the old ones?
Did not Mubarak, Abdullah Saleh and Gaddafi obey their masters without objecting?
What could they have gained by planning the Arab Spring process on the loss of their markets, their peace of mind, their many financial gains, and their shopping market with this instability that the world has been drifting to for seven years? There is no logical answer to this question. Because, by avoiding evaluating all sociological developments in their own dynamics and with an approach that seeks an absolutely secret hand behind every incident, an approach that explains the consequences of all events from beginning to end cannot make a sound assessment.
The original Arab Spring was an unpredictable social outburst. This was a complete social disaster, an earthquake for the administrators of the country and the countries of the alliance.
There is no doubt that this earthquake was out of control. However, once it has taken place, there was a danger of establishing a new world outside of its control; some of them later took a series of measures to control these events. Measures taken will gradually become their undoing.
Because these measures will yield no other result than bloody and brutal punishment, these countries drifting into instability, the persecution and impoverishment of the people who are under oppression.
They may already have saved the day, but none of these measures will be enough to extinguish the Arab Spring torch.
That torch has already been lit. Today that torch is the hope, the goal and the dream of the people at a place that is out of their reach.
