Group+5.5


 * __Group 5.5- Protests In the Arab World__**

The word “revolution” is on the lips of the Arab world today. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Yemen all have had major protests that threaten to amend their nation's political and governmental composition. Less pronounced incidents have also materialized in Lebanon, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Mauritania as well as the Western Sahara.

While many of us here in the United States rang in the new year with parties and resolutions, the Ara b world has been ringing in a very different way. As of January this year, two powerful Arab dictators that have maintained power for decades, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, resigned from office as a result of passionate civilian uprising. People are making their demands heard despite enormous pressure for their silence. Many of the countries which are protesting have a large 20-30 year old population that is stuggling in these economic times. While the fates of these Arab countries remain uncertain, these are historic moments that will certainly affect the future of global politics.

= = **Protests in Tunisia**

The successful revolution in Tunisia, and the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, are credited with inspiring the spread of revolutionary change in the rest of the Middle East. Social media and networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Nawaat have been widely credited for the rapid assembly of young protesters in the Tunisian protests. It all began when a street vendor, Tarek al-Tayyib Muhammad Bouazizi, manifested his frustration with municipal officials over alleged corruption and humilation by setting himself on fire on December 17th, 2010. (International Business, 2011) This resonated with the Tunisian people and as a consequence mass protests and demonstrations against the government swiftly formed. Boiazizi's act of desperation and the outrage that it spurred was therefore a manifestation of the people's frustration after years of corruption, food inflation, lack of political freedom, and a low standard of living. The unrest forced the Ben Ali and his family to flee the country on January 14th, 2011, after 23 years of autocratic rule. A “state of emergency” was then formed and a coalition government was created. The United States demonstrated minimal support for the revolution, as Ben Ali had been a long time ally of both the United States and France. In an effort to maintain stability, Arab leaders are now making an effort to present their people with reforms. (Spencer, 2011) (Levine, 2011)

Tunisian Prime Minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi requested Saudi Arabia extradite the former President Ben Ali on serious charges of perpetrating and inciting homicide. Reports came out on February 18th, 2011 that the former President Ben Ali had a stroke in Saudi Arabia and was in serious condition. Then, in response to further protests, the Prime minister was also forced to step down on February 27th, 2011, and on March 7th, 2011, the Tunisian secret police was disbanded. The interim President, Foued Mebazaa, has set the elections on a constituent assembly which is responsible for drafting a post-revolt constitution for July 24th, 2011. (BBC, 2011)



Unrest, violence, and looting has continued in Tunisia despite the dissolve of Ben Ali's regime. For example, the main train station in Tunisia was torched and 1000 inmates in a local prison were reportedly freed. The Tunisian security forces continue battle to maintain law and order. (Aljazeera, 2011)

By, Tarek Sawaf

References:

LeVine, Mark. "Tunisia: How the US got it wrong". Aljazeera News.16 Jan 2011 <[]>

Spencer, Richard. “Tunisia riots: Reform or be overthrown, US tells Arab states”. The Telegraph. 13 Jan 2011 <[]>

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"The Story of Mohamed Bouazizi” International Business Times. 14 Jan 2011 ======

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<[]> ======

“Tunisia announces major cabinet reshuffle after protest”. BBC News. 27 Jan 2011  <[]>

“Tunisia to elect constituent assembly on July 24, says president”. FOCUS News Agency. 03 March 2011.  < []  >

**Protests in Egypt**

= = For Egypt, 2011 has brought, and will continue to bring, a wave of change for the most populous country in the Middle East. On January 28th, military figure Omar Suleiman announced himself as the vice president and after a 30-year rule over the country, President Hosni Mubarak stepped down from position on February 11th. This event is a big turn for the country, as a majority of the youth was worried that he would be reelected in the upcoming election, or his son Gamal Mubarak would take his place. Protestors filled the streets of Cairo on the 11th shouting, “Egypt is free!” to celebrate Mubarak’s resignation ("The New York Times Company"). Although with the NDP (National Democratic Party) controlling more than 90% of the seats in Egypt’s parliament ("BBC"), opposition parties are concerned no one else has a chance to take over office.



In a scholarly journal article from 2008, author Samer Shehata made predictions as to what would happen with the government if Mubarak resigned or died. The four predictions he made had two outcomes where Mubarak’s son, Gamal, became president. The other two had outcomes where military leader Omar Suleiman took over (Shehata 418-424). With Suleiman now being the vice president, Shehata’s foreshadowing of he and the military taking control is looking to be correct.
 * A Long Time Coming**

2011 marks the year for the most protests, but last year incidences occurred in Egypt which has built up to the revolt this year. On August 12, 2010, the government announced a plan to unify the Islamic prayer in Cairo via the radio in order to avoid discrepancies about prayer times and end overlapping prayer calls (Dunn 112). Protests broke out on August 18th after power outages left a number of residents without air conditioning, which led to crowds blocking a major highway with burning tires (Dunn 113). On September 6th, opposition leader Muhammad ELBaradei asked residents to oppose the November parliamentary election, saying that it was likely to be rigged (Dunn 113). Also, in the months of September and October, the government put restrictions on residents mass text messaging and live broadcasts, which also caused upset (Dunn 113-114).
 * Protests Build-Up**



Although tension between the abundance of poor residents and the president have been going on for over 30 years, it wasn’t until January 25th, named the “Day of Revolt”, that protests really broke out. Riots in downtown Cairo and other cities in Egypt broke out as protestors rebelled against Mubarak’s rule. After Tunisia’s president was ousted due to protests, protesters in Egypt saw this as an opportunity to start their own revolution. Protests continued on for days while the government banned public gatherings and tried to get protesters to leave by torturing them with tear gas and rubber bullets ("The New York Times Company"). On March 3rd Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq resigned due to the opposition movements in the country ("The New York Times Company"). According to a BBC report on January 26th, around 700 protesters in Egypt have been arrested during anti-government protests and many protesters and military figures have died ("BCC").
 * Protests Today**

Behind some of these protests are ElBaradei and the Muslim Brotherhood, both being opposition forces against the Egyptian government. Someone else responsible for the riots is Google executive Wael Ghonim, who announced on February 8th after he was released from an Egyptian prison that he was behind the Facebook and YouTube campaigns that helped sparked the protests ("The New York Times Company"). Although the protests have quieted down some since Mubarak’s resignation, conflicts between the military, the government, and protestors still continues.

By: Jordyn Timpson

Dunn, Michael. "The Middle East Journal." //Project MUSE// 65.1 (2011): 112-114. Web. 7 Mar 2011. .

"Egypt News - The Protests." //New York Times Company// 3 March 2011: n. pag. Web. 7 Mar 2011. .

"Egypt's opposition pushes demands as protests continue." //BBC// 1 February 2011: n. pag. Web. 7 Mar 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12290167>.

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;">"Egypt protests: Anti-Mubarak demonstrators arrested." //BBC// 26 January 2011: n. pag. Web. 7 Mar 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12289475>.

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;">"Malaysia Egypt Protest ." //Sulekha.com//. Web. 7 Mar 2011. <http://newshopper.sulekha.com/malaysia-egypt-protest_photo_1689167.htm>.

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;">"Posters in Tahrir Square commemorating those killed during the protests.." //The New York Times Company//. Web. 7 Mar 2011. <http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/latest-updates-on-day-14-of-egypt-protests/>.

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;">Shehata, Samer. "After Mubarak, Mubarak?." //Current History// 107.713 (2008): 418-424. Web. 7 Mar 2011. <http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login?url=/docview/200737103?accountid=12598>.

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;">"While Cairo Burns, Muslim Radicals Take Advantage of Mayhem in Egypt to Murder Christians, Including Children." //Frugal Café Blog Zone//. Web. 7 Mar 2011. <http://www.frugal-cafe.com/public_html/frugal-blog/frugal-cafe-blogzone/2011/02/03/while-cairo-burns-muslim-radicals-take-advantage-of-mayhem-in-egypt-to-murder-christians-including-children/>.

=<span style="display: inline ! important; font: 12px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">**Protests In Yemen** =

__Brief History__ ==== Prior to 1990 Yemen was split into two countries north and south. The north was called the Yemen Arab Republic and the south the Democratic Republic of Yemen. The south was controlled by England from 1839 to 1967 ("Freedom"). After the south gained it's independence it fell in and out of control of marxist leaders ("Freedom") The current president of united Yemen Ali Abdallah Saleh led a revolt against the incumbent government in North Yemen in 1962 and has been president ever since. In 1990 the two countries were united and Saleh has remained the president of an united Yemen. Overall Yemen remains behind many of the other countries in the middle east in modernizing. The southern region of Yemen remains drastically behind the northern region (Encyclopedia Britannica). President Saleh is a member of the General People's Congress Party and the dominant party of the south is the Yemeni Socialist Party is in the majority in the south ("Freedom"). The south seceded in 1994 but after a 70 day war, northern troops forced them back together ("Freedom") ====

__Roots Of Resistance__
==== The main reason that Yemen hasinto upheval with the rest of the arab world is matters of economics. Yemen is one of the poorest arab countries. The average household has an income of only $219. 35% of the population in Yemen are unemployed, and 45% of the population live in extreme poverty. 70% of the Yemenis are under 30 and are the driving force of the protests. The combination of a weak economy and a large youth population has created much resentment towards the government. The economy can not handle the influx of that many young people as they graduate school and try to enter the work force. In terms of education only 50% is literate and for women only 30%. The average Yemeni will only go to school for 9 years and only 7 if they are girls ("CIA World Factbook"). There is also religious conflict because overall the country is a sunni muslim majority but the ruling party as well as Saleh is Shi'a muslim ("Freedom"). There is a lot of corruption in the government and all the government agencies ("Freedom"). Judges are often bribed and newspapers are indirectly limited to how they can talk about the government (" Freedom"). Women also face many challenges in Yemen, they are much more illiterate than men ("Freedom"). Often women are the victims of "honor killings" but in 2001 a the first female cabinet minister was elected to take over the human rights portfolio ("Freedom "). ====

__al-Qaeda in Yemen__
==== Yemen is important to the US foreign policy because it is thought to be the base of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Penninsula. Following the 9/11 attacks the government in Yemen, the government went after and destroyed al-Qaeda in Yemen ("Hauslohner"). However such a movement can not be extinguished simply, in 2006 the group began to rise again in Yemen. Young men in rural and urban Yemen are often persuaded to join them because they have no other options, and al-Qaeda looks like an attractive alternative to a certain life of poverty ("Hauslohner"). It is also thought that the part of al-Qaeda in Yemen was responsible for attempting to bomb a Detroit plane on Christmas Day 2009, as well as setting off bombs on a plane bound for Chicago ("Gosh"). The US has called on Yemen's government to step up the fight against al-Qaeda but the reaction has been slow. Saleh is hesitant to act out of fear of disturbing tribal relations and not wanting to be thought of as an United States puppet which is a driving force of the current protests ("Walt"). ====

__2011 Protests__
==== 2011 has seen a complete upheaval in the middle east and Yemen has been in the thick of it. Early in the year the world saw authoritarian powers fall in both Tunisia and Egypt in response to substandard economic conditions. The people of Yemen have followed in the footsteps of the Tunisian people and have tried to stage peacedul prostests demanding the resignation of President Saleh ("Khouri"). Yemen has joined them calling for the resignation of Ali Abdallah Saleh after over 40 years in power. Initially Salih sought to avoid the fates of Ben Ali and Mubarak by telling protestors gathered in the streets of the capital Sanaa that neither he or his son would run again in 2013 however this did not satisfy the protestors who called for immediate resignation ("Gosh"). In late February Salih shot down a proposal made by his opposition that would have him step down by the end of the year. Salih has stood firm that he will remain in power until the next election year in 2013. While Saleh has attempted to remain firm his support is crumbling. Yemeni culture is still largely based around tribes and in the beginning of March many powerful tribal sheiks have thrown their support to the protestors ("Holmes"). This has included Hamid al-Ahmar, the wealthiest man in Yemen. al-Ahmar has emerged as a leader of one opposition party, but many others claim he is power hungry and will do more to damage the already hurting country. As the protests continue Salih is beginning to loose his grip on his people. At the end of February one of the most powerful tribal Sheiks, Hussein al-Ahamar threw his support to the protestors and is from one of Yemen's most poerful tribes the Hashid ("Holmes" and "Gosh"). What happens in Yemen has yet to be seen and the only sure thing is that the outcome will have major influence in the theater of international peace and safety. ==== Sources- Taryn Schairer

<span style="font: 12px/19px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 11px 11px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -11px;">Abdullah, Khaled. 2011. Photograph. Sana'a. The Women at the Head of Yemen's Protest Movement. Time Magazine, 16 Feb. 2011. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. < [|__http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2049476,00.html__] >. <span style="font: 12px/19px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px 0px 11px 11px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -11px;"> "ʿAlī ʿAbd Allāh Ṣāliḥ." //Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online//. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. < [|__**http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/519196/Ali-Abd-Allah-Salih**__] >. <span style="color: #000099; font: 12px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -36px;">Anonymous. "Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution." //The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs// 30.2 (2001): 4,12. //ProQuest//. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. < __[|http://p2047 -ezproxy .msu .edu .proxy2 .cl .msu .edu/login ?url=http://proquest .umi .com .proxy2 .cl .msu .edu/pqdweb ?did=2276176541 &sid=3 &Fmt=3­&clientId=3552 &RQT=309 &VName=PQD]__ <span style="font: 12px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -36px;">"Freedom in the World - Yemen (2002)." //Freedom House//. Freedom House, 2002. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. < [|__http://www.freedomhouse.org/inc/content/pubs/fiw/inc_country_detail.cfm?country=2424&pf__] >. <span style="font: 12px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -36px;">Getty Images. 2010. Photograph. Huta. Yemen's Al-Qaeda Fight Raises Complex Challenges for the U.S. Time Magazine, 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. < [|__http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2022117,00.html__] >. <span style="font: 12px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -36px;">Gosh, Bobby. "Yemen: Trouble in the Most Dangerous Domino." Time Magazine. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. < [|__http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2056621,00.html__] >. <span style="font: 12px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -36px;">Hauslohner, Abigail. "Despite US Help, Yemen Faces Growing Al- Qaeda Threat." //Time Magazine// 22 Dec. 2009. //Time//. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <[|__http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1949324,00.html__]>. <span style="font: 12px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -36px;">Holmes, Oliver. "No Deal In Yemen: The President Says He Wont Go." Time Magazine. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. < [|__http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2057426,00.html__] >. <span style="font: 12px/32px Times New Roman; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;"> Holmes, Oliver. "Yemen: Tribal Leaders Choosing Sides." //Time Magazine//. Time.com, 27 Feb. 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. <[|__http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2055720__], <span style="font: 12px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -36px;">Kozyrev, Yuri. Photograph. Sana'a. Yemen: The Most Dangerous Domino. TIME. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. < [|__http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2056621-1,00.html__] >. <span style="color: #000099; font: 12px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -36px;">"Yemen." //CIA World Factbook//. The CIA. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. < [|__https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ym.html__] >. <span style="font: 12px 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -36px;">Walt, Vivienne. "Yemen's Al-Qaeda Fight Raises Complex Challenges for the U.S." Time Magazine. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. < [|__http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2022117,00.html__] >.

Protests in Bahrain by Evan Schneider

History:

Protests in Bahrain have existed since the 1900’s. These protests have been political, social, and economic. In the early 1900’s, when Bahrain was a semi-protectorate of Britain, Sunni merchants attempted to organize a council to limit or regulate British control. This proved unsuccessful and resulted in exile of some petitioners. During this ordeal, other Sunni rejected this reform and Shia supported this reform since it would have reduced the emir’s (“government’s”) authority. This had an effect of “sympathy” toward the Shia from the British (Louay). In 1934, Bahrain became the first Arab Gulf country to export oil. This economic boost modernized Bahrain’s infrastructure; and united the Sunni and Shia working class who, together, went on strike to ask for higher wages and union rights in 1938. Post World War II protests in Bahrain included both Sunni and Shia side by side. In the 1950’s these protest revolved again around British influence or “control” but the result was that the protest leaders were exiled. The protests at this time lacked organization and longevity (Louay).

In 1971, Bahrain became completely independent and constitutional reform followed. A National Assembly of 44 members was elected, 30 by all-male voters and 14 were chosen by the government. Current protests in Bahrain revolve around the history of this Assembly (Louay).

This Assembly contested the government’s foreign policy and the budget. In 1975 the Assembly refused to ratify the State Security Law; which allowed the arrest and imprisonment of citizens for a 3 year renewable sentence without a court trial. The government then stepped in and dissolved the Assembly; ratified the State Security Law, and limited the Assembly’s legislative power. The emir has since ruled by decree and the State Security Court in Bahrain was created, where judgments could not be appealed. Again, protests have escalated about this government institution where antiriot police have been attacked by protestors. More current movements involve the revival of this Assembly and legislative rights.

The New Shia Movement:

Most protest before 1979 were organized by a secular opposition, since the Islamic revolution in Iran, these groups have lost control of public protests, strikes, and demonstrations. The use of religion as a political tool gave rise to a Shia composed opposition and protest for reform. In 1980, Saddam Hussein of Iraq executed a Shia Iraqi authority which led to a street demonstration at the Iraqi Embassy in Bahrain. This opposition coupled with the protest for the revival of the National Assembly constitution of 1975 strengthened one another to drive political reform (Louay). The ensuing protests throughout the 80’s and 90’s have resulted in arrests of Shia protestors and more than 40 Shia deaths. These lethal actions resulted in the Shia operating through human rights organizations like Amnesty International. The religion driven Shia force gained power through patient organization and has setup a lasting framework inside and outside Bahrain. However, some fear that if the Shia are successful, Bahrain may sacrifice religious tolerance because of the use of religion as a political tool. Two political opposition organizations outside of Bahrain influence the Shia movement.

The Islamic Freedom Movement of Bahrain founded in 1981 and based in London, has moderate Islamic views and does not demand the application of Islamic Law. The second group is the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain founded in 1976 and based in Damascus, which has a more radical and extreme agenda including the implication of Islamic Law and removing or limiting the power of the Sunni Al-Khalifah family (Louay). This organization has been accused of plotting to overthrow the government, and is headed by Abd A-Hamid al-Radhi who has lived in exile since 1980. Other national groups such as the Bahrain National Liberation Front and the Popular Front of Bahrain also exist as government opposition.

Through the mid 90’s, the emir or ruling government, encouraged the formulation of several public petitions as a way of maintaining direct contact with the people. These petitions used mosques as place to discuss public problems and sign petitions (Lawson). The petitions included equal right for women, the right to vote and be elected into the future National Assembly which was not the case in the 1975 constitution. The result was the Consultive Council which replaced the National Assembly of the 1975 constitution. This council consisted of 30 member, 15 Shia and 15 Sunni who “advise” the emir and government rule.

The New Clerical Class:

The newly emerging clerical class of opposition is composed of relatively young population of Shia men and women who have completed Islamic studies in Qom, Iran (Louay). These issues quickly aroused interest to revolt against the government and gained popularity, and the government feared that this was a seed of revolutionary Islam that would disrupt the peace. During these tense times in late 1994, an altercation occurred between Shia protestors and participants of the annual Bahrain marathon. The Shia were protesting the mixing of sexes and “indecent dress” referring to the running shorts. That night Sheikh Ali Salman who headed the new movement was arrested, although he was not directly involved in the incident, and deported to London where he lives in exile (Tehran Times).



Since the Marathon Incident in 1994, more than 40 people have been killed protesting; this is a relatively high number of tragedies since Bahrain’s population is approximately 600,000 (Louay). There continues to be unrest fueled by a growing population of Shia. In the 50’s, the Sunni-Shia ratio in Bahrain was equal and in 1997 the Shia majority was 70% of the population (Louay). In Bahrain, Shia come from large families as a result of early marriage and multiple wives. The Shia are more often rural and less educated people who have lower levels of income when compared to the Sunnis who support an idea of a nuclear family and birth control. The Shia officials maintain that their worsening economic condition is the result of the government granting more public work projects to Sunnis rather than Shia. Also “the unwillingness of the Bahraini government to employ Shia in the lower ranks of the army and the police force, presumably because of doubts about their loyalty to the regime, makes Shia feel they are second-class citizens.” (Louay)

Growing Unemployment:

Unemployment in the late 1990’s and into the 2000’s swelled to 30% of Shia population between the ages of 18 and 50(Louay). The national unemployment rate at that time was closer to 15% where 63% of the workforce was foreign labor. In Bahrain, permits are given to officials to import foreign labor who are charged a fee to work in jobs that they are more qualified for. A Shia merchant, in an interview by the Washington Post, said “We are totally kept out of all major ministries… If you switch on the TV, there is not a single program which refers to us, our history, our folklore, our geography. We are nothing(1995).” Since then, Shia make up 80% of the workforce and some are recruited into the police force, but only a small minority. The Consultive Council has increased to 19 Sunni and 21 Shia including 10 women(Lawson). However, the jobs dominated by the Shia are menial with a low income and no increases in wage. The Bahrain fertility rate is 4.2 and higher among Shia(Louay). With more than half the population under 25, there is an increasing need for more job creation each year. Bahrain’s protests are openly political and revolve around the Shia-Sunni imbalance.

By Evan Schneider

__ Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach __. Lawson, Fred. "Repertoires of Contention in Contemporary Bahrain.” Indiana University Press 2004. P89. < [] >

Bahry, Louay. "The Opposition in Bahrain: A Bellwetherfor the Gulf?." //Middle East Policy, Vol 5, Iss 2, Pg 42. 1997//. < [] >.

Lawson, Fred. "Civil Liberties.” FreedomHouse.org. 2009. < [] >.

“Police ‘Use Guns’ at Bahrain Protests.” BBC. Tehran Times International Daily. April 6, 2009. < [] >

In 1959, oil was discovered in the Arab nation, located in Northern Africa, Libya. Then in 1969 Colonel Qaddafi and his coup over threw the king, King Odria. Qaddafi declared Libya’s independence. Qaddafi has since then become known as a very unpredictable dictator. In his manifesto, //The Green Book//, he describes his political philosophy of Islam and Arab nationalism. In //Green Book//, he also states that he wanted to remove all outside ideologies and foreign influence from Libya. Althugh, he promoted revolutionary change when he first came to power, he held all the power and the only change was his on. His ideas have been imprinted all over Libyan life. Qaddafi has had trouble with his relationships throughout the world. During the 1970's and 1980's Qaddafi and his government supported different terrorists groups, like the Irish Republic Army and different Palestinian groups. In 1986, United States oil companies ceased all of their operations from the country. Then in 1993, sanctions were placed on Libya, placing an embargo on all air and trade and a ban of the sale of any equipment necessary for oil. Qaddafi has placed many restrictions on his own people. In Libya, creating a political party is a crime that can be punishable with death. Some also say that Qaddafi is responsible for much of the economic problems in Libya, by bankrupting this oil producing country with such a tiny population
 * Protests in Libya **
 * __ Political History: __**

During the 1950s and 60s, The United States created the Libyan oil industry. In 1985, Americans were killed in terrorist attacks in different airports and they were blamed on Qaddafi and Libya. Then in 1986, the United States struck air attacks over several cities in the Libya. Following all this tension, a trust was created by the United States ceasing all US companies from oil operations in Libya until 2005. In September 2003, the legal resolution, the Lockerbie Affair and the Libyan government accepting civic responsibility led to the UN lifting their sanctions on Libya. Then in December of 2003, George W. Bush and Tony Blair announced that Libya would end their Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) program and also allow for their nuclear facilities to be inspected. This was seen as a way for Qaddafi to help his regime survive. Over time in 2005 and 2006, American oil companies returned to Libya and other foreign countries began to compete for new oil and gas contracts. The long sanctions and isolation caused lots of strain on the country. By resuming ties with the United States and over countries, it allowed for more foreign investment and a better economy.
 * __ Libya and the United States: __**

Colonel Muammar Qaddafi has held rule for 41 years; citizens of Libya have recently showed how much they did not agree with his regime. It seems protestors are inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt. Protesting has increased in the months of February and March of 2011. There is lots of anger against Qaddafi in Eastern Libya and Qaddafi seems to still have strong hold of parts of Libya including the city of Tripoli. Although, the people of Libya have showed their disapproval, Qaddafi is not backing down. He has told his supporters to seek out protestors and attack them. In a speech he gave, Qaddafi has vowed to crush the revolt and not Libya before he dies. The UN Security Council condemned Libyan forces from using force against protestors. The Arab League has also condemned these actions. Sanctions have been place by the UN and other countries on Libya because of the violence used on protestors. The protestors have successful taken most of eastern Libya but hundreds have been killed The New York based Human Rights Watch, estimates that over 1000 have been killed. Qaddafi is not going to step done easily and many are afraid he is going to destroy the country before he dies.
 * __ Present Protests: __**



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