The Old Game of The Middle East

When it comes to the oldest empires, traditions, and beliefs, you ought to look no further than the Middle East; arguably the most controversial locale on the face of the earth. 

The place where it has it all: history, literature, rituals, and off course, oil. However, one thing that this region seems to be intrinsically unable to possess is, well you guessed it, true democracy. For as long as history can recollect, the Middle East is meant to go through its upheavals using the same strategies and form of government that were employed by the generations that preceded them. One leader takes the leash with the notorious you-are-with-us-or-against-us attitude for some time only to be met by his tumble prior to giving his venue to someone with lower moral stature from a lower level of the society who ultimately pursues the same agenda. And the game repeats itself over and over….. until …..until the oil runs out ?!

O Kennedy Center hosted a worthwhile discussion on Wednesday, February 9th 2011 entitled "What’s Next? Tunisia, Egypt, and the Future of the Middle East " to elaborate upon the uprising in Egypt and Tunisia and its impact on the current state of affairs in the Middle East.

"The Middle East has been and continues to be a profoundly anti-democratic region in a world that is becoming much more democratic." stated Joshua Gubler, visiting professor of political science and later continued: "Even though Middle Eastern countries hold elections and call their leaders presidents, in practice, these countries are anti-democratic. The government is hiring people to go out and harass people who they think might be voting for anyone but them."

Professor Gubler also believed that the other profound phenomenon in the Middle East is poverty and wealth discrepancy that has given rise to outlooks where you could witness a fellow Egyptian "on a donkey cart side-by-side with a Mercedes-Benz ". For instance half the population in Egypt live in extreme poverty while the few minorities enjoy their life in million dollar mansions. 

What ultimately makes the real difference during various rebellions across the hot territory is the ever increasing young population that tends to proceed towards modernity as the age spectrum draws back in the direction of younger and younger ages. 

The social media such as Twitter and Facebook have proven to be formidable opponents of authoritarian governments in the Middle East. After all, these young people could easily transfer the news in a matter of instants and their leaders are well aware of that very fact. However, what remains unambiguous and infallible is the impotence of the aforementioned dogmatic figureheads who cannot cease this flow of information even when an overseer like  Al-Mubarak shuts down the internet and cell-phone services in Egypt.

Hence, it’s no surprise that the current shift of power in Egypt will most likely end up in the same situation as many other revolutions in the region, where the so-called game of theocracy is played over and over again. What remains to be seen though, would be the future of the Middle East after occurrence of all these transitions among the many regimes who translate democracy in their own words of dominion.

In the mean time, the old game of the Middle East continues.

Book Suggestion, If Tomorrow Never Comes by Marlo Schalesky

"Once, she’d been so sure that God would answer. So sure of her faith. God would not disappoint her, would not let her down. After all, But the years eroded that faith, washing it away, bit by bit, as surely as the sea washed out the sand on the shore.
 

Until today. Now, she had faith again. She would stop being that woman filled with pain and doubt. She would be filled with faith…and more. Right, God? She slowed. Doctor’s orders. Or at least, nurse’s orders. God didn’t answer. But it didn’t matter. She’d waited long enough. Tried, prayed, hoped. And finally, she’d happened upon those vials as if they were meant for her. As though it didn’t matter if she just slipped them into her pocket. A simple act. Easy. So why did she still have to bury them in the sand?

She knew the signs of guilt. Growing up as a pastor’s daughter taught her that.She knew a lot about guilt. I did what I had to do. That’s all. I can’t live like this anymore. It’s got to change. She’d done what she never would have believed. Kinna Henley had become a thief."

 Childhood sweethearts Kinna and Jimmy Henley had simple dreams—marriage, children, a house by the sea…everything they needed for happily ever after. What they didn’t plan on was years of infertility, stealing those dreams, crushing their hopes.

Now, all that’s left is the memory of young love, and the desperate need for a child to erase the pain. Until…

Kinna rescues an elderly woman from the sea, and the threads of the past, present, and future weave together to reveal the wonder of one final hope. One final chance to follow not their dreams, but God’s.

Can they embrace the redemptive power of love before it’s too late? Or will their love be washed away like the castles they once built upon the sand? The past whispers to the present. And the future shivers. What if tomorrow never comes?

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If Tomorrow Never Comes

If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep,

I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door,

I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,

I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute to stop and say "I love you,"

Instead of assuming, you would know I do.

If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day,

Well I'm sure you'll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight,

And we always get a second chance to make everything right.

There will always be another day to say our "I love you's",

And certainly there's another chance to say our "Anything I can do's?"

But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get,

I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget,

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike,

And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss,

And you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear,

Tell them how much you love them,
and that you'll always hold them dear,

Take time to say "I'm sorry," "please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay".

And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today