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Al Jazeera Revolution
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It is hard to imagine the revolutions in the Middle East without Al Jazeera. The channel gave a boost to the protesters and was essential in bringing people out. Thanks to Al Jazeera, you can hear the same chants shouted by demonstrators in Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain, and elsewhere. Al Jazeera helped save lives and forced international media to act. In Libya, as in Egypt, Al Jazeera has been shaping public opinion, challenging people.

Al Jazeera is strongest when it can talk to the people it is covering. Iranians are not watching Al Jazeera. This is why it is so exciting that Al Jazeera will soon have channels in Turkish and Swahili. The Saudis, former Egyptian regime, Gaddafi, and many Arab dictators despise Al Jazeera as do those seen as collaborating with American hegemony or with Israel. Al Jazeera is the new Gamal Abdel Nasser, the nationalist force uniting the Arab world.


http://nirrosen.tumblr.com/post/3446734611/the-unstoppable-revolutionary-power-of-al-jazeera
Filed under: Al Jazeera Arab Awakening Bahrain Egypt Journalism Libya Media Revolution Television Tunisia Yemen
 

Arab regimes are built on sand
There is a popular assumption – especially in the west – that because Arab regimes tend to be autocratic and authoritarian, the state in Arab countries is also strong. In fact, most Arab governments are incapable of even collecting taxes effectively.

There is a paradox here, because Arab regimes have an almost insatiable urge to control. They legislate and regulate endlessly, they establish large armies and security forces, and employ vast bureaucracies – and yet their ability to exercise power and influence the behaviour of their citizens is far more limited than it looks.

Regime survival is the top priority, and state power is directed towards controlling dissent forcefully and effectively. This exercise of power is often mistaken for a sign of strength when in reality it is an acknowledgment of vulnerability. As the late Nazih Ayubi noted, "The Arab state is therefore often violent because it is weak."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/sep/09/arab-regimes-autocratic-nature-disguises-vulnerability/print

Filed under: Arab Democracy Middle East
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