2010 marked the
beginnings of a transformation through the Middle East. Revolutionaries stormed
the streets in search for change; a change that called for a new regime and
polices that would benefit their countries. The only way to accomplish this was
to take down the people who had been making change difficult in their country:
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Tunisia, 23 years), Hosni Mubarak (Egypt, 30 years),
and Ali Abdulla Saleh (Yemen, 33 years). “The unethical behaviors for some of the Arab leaders were the main reason behind the Arab spring” (Elkatawneh). Passion to take back
their countries led to the taking down the tyrannical rulers through protest,
through their revolution. Following the Arab Spring the new regimes began
looking for ways to please rebels, by creating political reforms in Tunisia,
Egypt, and Yemen.
The regimes in
place after the Arab Spring seemed to be a beacon of light after all the chaos.
In Tunisia an educated interim president was elected by the Constituent Assembly,
Moncef Marzouki. In Egypt, Mohammad Morsi,
from the Muslim Brotherhood, took his place and began appointing people as he
saw fit. In Yemen, the vice president ascended to his seat as the President,
this worried people since he was already part of the old regime. In reality
Have the people gotten what they wanted?
One
important outcome that came of the Uprisings was national dialogues. All three
countries, Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen held national dialogues in hopes to bring
about change when it dealt to the nations’ respective constitutions and political
rule changes. Discussion involved the economy, “issues
regarding the priority of the presidential elections and the electoral system”
(Muhammad Taha), Shariah law, and other matters. While new constitutions have
been adopted in Tunisia (Jan 26 2014) and Egypt (January 2014), Yemen is still
finding ways to come to a consensus, through the national dialogue, regarding
its new constitution. While changes are beginning to take place the countries
are still having struggles.
Tunisia, in its
current state, is dealing with troubles involving its economy. The “economy is at a critical juncture as it tries to
rebuild confidence and attract investment -- both foreign and domestic”
(Tunisia). The reason for this economic unrest is the lack of political clarity
which leads to investors and consumers to think twice on how they are investing
their money. Assassinations of political leaders have caused a standstill for
progress since investors are weary of partaking in Tunisia. Like many countries
in the Middle East Tunisia depends on foreign aid. In Tunisia, “the trade
deficit widened by 3.3% in the first eight months of 2013; the deficit has made
the currency in Tunisia, the dinar decrease in value. This has also affected
employment. While the economy is down it is said to increase thanks to Tourism.
Overall, it is important for the government to get their act together in order
to have a sustainable country, which doesn’t rely solely on its own resources
but it is still fair.
In Egypt, the search for investors is also at large. “In his first address as prime minister, Ibrahim Mehleb
yesterday said that he would seek "rapid solutions" to rehabilitate
the economy through pro-investment policies and creating jobs for young
Egyptians” (Egypt). Since the removal of
Morsi in July, two large government stimulus packages have provided relief to
Egyptian markets and raised hopes that stagnant economic growth could increase.
The promise to bring about more jobs and a more stable economy could cause
problems in the coming months. If anyone is unhappy in Egypt the people will
most definitely go to the streets. The instability of Egypt's structure is
causing problems in the advancement of what the people want. Some of the major
structure challenges include unemployment, inflation, fiscal policies, and the
private sector where not much investment exists. With the upcoming election, which
Sissi is said to win, investors might be drawn due to Sissi’s strong
personality and wide backing.
In
Yemen, the people haven't been as lucky as with other areas, the national
dialogue has come to a consensus but this “prolonged process of political
transition has been playing with Yemenis’ hopes of an economic revival and
improved living standards” (Yemen). There are many problems currently in Yemen
from the North vs. South disputes to the depletion of oil within the next two
years to the water scarcity. The economy in Yemen is among the worst in the
world with “some 42% of Yemenis living below the poverty line and not having
enough to eat” (Yemen). Not only do the Yemenis have to find a way to better
the conditions to their people but they are also getting a lot of pressure for
the IMF. Even though things seem bleak for Yemen talks of new explorations for
oil have been talked about and investors are lined up but need a stable
government, transparency, the rule of law, and access to finance in order to
proceed, all which are absent and could take up to a decade to obtain. Because
the National dialogue has not yet come to and end the future of Yemen is up in
the Air.
The outcomes of Tunisia and Egypt seem to have solutions
that are obtainable and the reforms in place seem to be looking out for the
people. In Yemen, the citizens aren't as lucky, with the National Dialogue
coming up hopefully the views of the people will show in the decisions being
as Yemen is such a divided country. As countries move on from the vicious
uprising a new hope for a more free and stable Middle East seems to arise, a
sense of Arab-ism has been form and people couldn't be prouder of what they have
accomplished.
Works Cited
"An Arab Spring
Success Story: Tunisia's New Constitution." Fortune Management Career Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. Apr. 2014.
EGYPT: Economic Reform Unlikely before Late-2013. Oxford: Oxford Analytica Ltd, 2013. ProQuest. Web.
Muhammad Taha, Rana.
"Mansour Holds First National Dialogue on Roadmap." Daily News Egypt RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. Apr. 2014.
TUNISIA: Political
Progress Will Kick-Start Recovery. Oxford: Oxford Analytica Ltd, 2013. ProQuest. Web.
YEMEN: Economic
Recovery Awaits Political Reforms. Oxford: Oxford Analytica Ltd, 2013. ProQuest. Web.
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