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.