Read the CNN article that explains the gist of this story if you haven't heard about it.
I just don't get it. I get that the Taliban felt like this was the perfect target for their attack. This hotel has lots of international guests staying there all the time. Also, it was where a news conference was scheduled to discuss the transition to Afghanistan's security forces taking over control of their own country. I get that.
But what I don't get is the timing and why. Why didn't they wait until the news conference was actually going on? I guess I just wish they had because I know security would have been more plentiful and their chances of success greatly reduced. Sigh,
But also, there are many other things going on around Afghanistan dealing with this transfer of security forces. Why now? Why this hotel?
I can't help but feel very sad for the loss of life. Both the innocents in the hotel and and the misguided Taliban members who think this barbaric response to things they don't like is the answer.
It's very sad. And it's very frustrating. And what exactly is the change they would like to see happen in the way things are run that would make them stop suicide bombing every damn thing?
Seriously, what do they want? I get the vague demands for the stopping of oppression. But I've yet to suss out what specifically could be changed that would actually be enough for them to lay down their arms.
Does anyone believe there's anything Obama or Karzai could do to make them not want to blow up themselves and dozens of others?
And if there is, after all the fighting is done, how will we peacefully co-exist? I just don't know, I just don't know.
Showing posts with label Asia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asia. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series: United Arab Emirates
The protests in the United Arab Emirates kicked off on March 9, 2011.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
UAE is a country I only know of because of the expensive and gorgeous man-made islands. But they are their own people with their own internal culture that has nothing to do with tourism (except with the economy of course). Let's dig in and see what we can learn about these people.
Basic History
The United Arab Emirates is often abbreviated to UAE or shortened to The Emirates . Geographically, it is located in southeast Asia and is part of the Midde East. Important bordering countries include: Saudi Arabia and Oman. it shares the Persian Gulf with several more countries that have been mentioned in this series: Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Iran. The capital is Abu Dhabi. The population is estimated at 4.7 million people. The language is Arabic.
The Untied Arab Emirates' most recent leader is President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is also the Emir of Abu Dhabi. He succeeded his father when the father died in 2004. He will be referred to as Sheikh Khalifa in most articles and definitely in this blog post. The Prime Minister is Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and he is also the Emirates Vice President. He was nominated by Sheikh Khalifa and approved by the UAE Federation National Council, only some of who are indirectly elected. All the rest are chosen by appointment in their various emirates. The UAE is a federation of seven different emirates. The UAE Prime Minister is the monarch of one of them, Dubai.
In terms of independence, the United Arab Emirates drafted their constitution in 1971 after the end of a special treaty with the United Kingdom. There were nine at first with Bahrain and Qatar included, but those two states became independent when a government setup could not be agreed upon that satisfied all nine emirates.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: lack of universal suffrage, dissatisfaction with the constitution,
The intellectuals in the Emirates were the start of the uprising against the government. They wanted universal suffrage and for comprehensive reforms of the constitution. They drafted a petition and had upwards of 160 signatures, many of them academics and former Federal National Council members.
There have been changes made where the 6500 who used to vote for half the 20 FNC positions are appointed. The other half are appointed. They are still hoping for more reforms, but they have yet to come.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, english.aljazeera.net, and
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
UAE is a country I only know of because of the expensive and gorgeous man-made islands. But they are their own people with their own internal culture that has nothing to do with tourism (except with the economy of course). Let's dig in and see what we can learn about these people.
Basic History
The United Arab Emirates is often abbreviated to UAE or shortened to The Emirates . Geographically, it is located in southeast Asia and is part of the Midde East. Important bordering countries include: Saudi Arabia and Oman. it shares the Persian Gulf with several more countries that have been mentioned in this series: Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Iran. The capital is Abu Dhabi. The population is estimated at 4.7 million people. The language is Arabic.
The Untied Arab Emirates' most recent leader is President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is also the Emir of Abu Dhabi. He succeeded his father when the father died in 2004. He will be referred to as Sheikh Khalifa in most articles and definitely in this blog post. The Prime Minister is Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and he is also the Emirates Vice President. He was nominated by Sheikh Khalifa and approved by the UAE Federation National Council, only some of who are indirectly elected. All the rest are chosen by appointment in their various emirates. The UAE is a federation of seven different emirates. The UAE Prime Minister is the monarch of one of them, Dubai.
In terms of independence, the United Arab Emirates drafted their constitution in 1971 after the end of a special treaty with the United Kingdom. There were nine at first with Bahrain and Qatar included, but those two states became independent when a government setup could not be agreed upon that satisfied all nine emirates.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: lack of universal suffrage, dissatisfaction with the constitution,
The intellectuals in the Emirates were the start of the uprising against the government. They wanted universal suffrage and for comprehensive reforms of the constitution. They drafted a petition and had upwards of 160 signatures, many of them academics and former Federal National Council members.
There have been changes made where the 6500 who used to vote for half the 20 FNC positions are appointed. The other half are appointed. They are still hoping for more reforms, but they have yet to come.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, english.aljazeera.net, and
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series: Kuwait
The protests in Kuwait kicked off on March 8, 2011.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Kuwait is a country I don't remember hearing about after the 1990s. I'm looking forward to hearing something about it that has nothing to do with Bill Clinton (and that's only a vague connection I kind of remember).
Basic History
Kuwait's official name is the State of Kuwait. Geographically, is it located in western Asia and is considered part of the Middle East. Important bordering countries include: Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The capital is Kuwait City. The population is estimated at 3.6 million people. The language is Arabic.
Kuwait's most recent leader is Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He's been in power since 2006, when as a 70 year old crown prince, he succeeded the sheik who had just died. Kuwait's government is a constitutional hereditary emirate. They have the Emir, who is the head of state and the Prime Minister who is the head of government. The Prime Minister was Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah until April 1, 2011, and the position is now vacant until elections are held. Previously, the Prime Minister was appointed by the Emir.
In terms of independence, Kuwait they gained independence from the British in 1961.Through the discovery of their oil fields and an influx of foreign investments, they were able to form an independent country. They settled border issues and gained complete recognition as an independent state by all other countries.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Nasser Mohammed, restrictions on civil rights, .
There were calls for protests on March 8, 2011. Well before this even started, Emir Al-Sabah announced that he would be giving each Kuwait citizen (about 1.12 million of their population) 1000 dinar. It was said in celebration of their 50th anniversary independence year. There have been speculations that the stipend was to curb any protest sentiments floating around before they get moving. But clearly, the money didn't work since there were still calls for protests.
Even in February, there were protests, but they weren't by Kuwait citizens, they were by non-citizens living in Kuwait called diboons. They protested February 19th (I think) about the fact that they have such reduced rights in the country.
On March 8th, Kuwait was bracing itself for protests planned for the day. The primary point of the protests were for the ouster of the Prime Minister. The wanted the person who filled that role to not come from the royal family.
Amid calls for political and economic reform, parliament called in members of the cabinet who were members of the ruling family for questioning. Think of Congress holding a hearing to explore any one of the offenses done by a government official. The three members in question chose to resign their cabinet positions rather than face the questioning. This happened on March 31st.
Politics in Kuwait seem to have been influenced more by what is happening in nearby Bahrain than what is happening in their own country. The resignation appeared to be an attempt by three Cabinet ministers, members of the ruling Al Sabah family, to avoid being questioned over why Kuwait did not contribute troops to the Saudi-led Gulf force that was sent to Bahrain.
It's a bit confusing, but from what I can tell because of the resignation of Prime Minister Nasser's cabinet, he is no longer the Prime Minister. Yet, it is reported that he has been asked to help form a new government. The opposition to the ruling family has protested this request, and time will tell what will happen.
The country is trying to respond to the calls for a different organization of government officials in hopes that there will be better economic options available to the citizens. I'm not sure what will happen with the protests by those who are not Kuwaitis. I don't know if their calls for equality and citizenship will be answered. It's especially sad for those who have no country. Being the descendant of a nomad apparently makes you a man with no country. That sucks, plain and simple.
More information can be found at Wall Street Journal Video, Press TV, MSNBC.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Kuwait is a country I don't remember hearing about after the 1990s. I'm looking forward to hearing something about it that has nothing to do with Bill Clinton (and that's only a vague connection I kind of remember).
Basic History
Kuwait's official name is the State of Kuwait. Geographically, is it located in western Asia and is considered part of the Middle East. Important bordering countries include: Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The capital is Kuwait City. The population is estimated at 3.6 million people. The language is Arabic.
Kuwait's most recent leader is Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He's been in power since 2006, when as a 70 year old crown prince, he succeeded the sheik who had just died. Kuwait's government is a constitutional hereditary emirate. They have the Emir, who is the head of state and the Prime Minister who is the head of government. The Prime Minister was Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah until April 1, 2011, and the position is now vacant until elections are held. Previously, the Prime Minister was appointed by the Emir.
In terms of independence, Kuwait they gained independence from the British in 1961.Through the discovery of their oil fields and an influx of foreign investments, they were able to form an independent country. They settled border issues and gained complete recognition as an independent state by all other countries.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Nasser Mohammed, restrictions on civil rights, .
There were calls for protests on March 8, 2011. Well before this even started, Emir Al-Sabah announced that he would be giving each Kuwait citizen (about 1.12 million of their population) 1000 dinar. It was said in celebration of their 50th anniversary independence year. There have been speculations that the stipend was to curb any protest sentiments floating around before they get moving. But clearly, the money didn't work since there were still calls for protests.
Even in February, there were protests, but they weren't by Kuwait citizens, they were by non-citizens living in Kuwait called diboons. They protested February 19th (I think) about the fact that they have such reduced rights in the country.
On March 8th, Kuwait was bracing itself for protests planned for the day. The primary point of the protests were for the ouster of the Prime Minister. The wanted the person who filled that role to not come from the royal family.
Amid calls for political and economic reform, parliament called in members of the cabinet who were members of the ruling family for questioning. Think of Congress holding a hearing to explore any one of the offenses done by a government official. The three members in question chose to resign their cabinet positions rather than face the questioning. This happened on March 31st.
Politics in Kuwait seem to have been influenced more by what is happening in nearby Bahrain than what is happening in their own country. The resignation appeared to be an attempt by three Cabinet ministers, members of the ruling Al Sabah family, to avoid being questioned over why Kuwait did not contribute troops to the Saudi-led Gulf force that was sent to Bahrain.
It's a bit confusing, but from what I can tell because of the resignation of Prime Minister Nasser's cabinet, he is no longer the Prime Minister. Yet, it is reported that he has been asked to help form a new government. The opposition to the ruling family has protested this request, and time will tell what will happen.
The country is trying to respond to the calls for a different organization of government officials in hopes that there will be better economic options available to the citizens. I'm not sure what will happen with the protests by those who are not Kuwaitis. I don't know if their calls for equality and citizenship will be answered. It's especially sad for those who have no country. Being the descendant of a nomad apparently makes you a man with no country. That sucks, plain and simple.
More information can be found at Wall Street Journal Video, Press TV, MSNBC.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series: Pakistan
The protests in Pakistan kicked off on March 2, 2011.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Pakistan is a country I hear about a lot, especially in terms of terrorism that affects America and relations with Israel. I don't know much about their internal conflicts though and I'm glad to finally learn.
Basic History
Pakistan's official name is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Geographically, is it located in southeast Asia and is considered part of the Middle East. Important bordering countries include: Afghanistan and Iran. The capital is Islamabad. The population is estimated at 170.6 millions people. The official languages are Urdu and English. Other recognized languages are Balochi, Pashto, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi .
Pakistan's most recent leader is President Asif Zardari. He is the widower of Benazir Bhutto. Click that link and read her wikipedia page. She is a person you should know. But back to President Zardari. He is elected by electoral college after the people vote in Pakistan. He is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Prime Minister is Yousaf Raza Gillani. The Prime Minister is the leader of the political party who receives the most voted for office in the bicameral legislature. The Prime Minister is the head of government.
In terms of independence, Pakistan as a modern state was established on August 14, 1947. This was when they declared their independence from the United Kingdom. Pakistan has fluctuated in terms of civilian, military, and religious rule over the years. As it currently stands, Pakistan is under Islamic law, but the people in charged are elected (indirectly) to office.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: presidential corruption, oppression of women, lack of basic human rights. Some of these I was surprised to read about as being problems in a democracy, but I guess it makes more sense when looked at through the Islamic lens. Womens' rights are not a priority for Islam.
It's been pretty difficult to get a specific timeline of what's been going on in Pakistan. But I've read a number of articles that decry the use of violence against the protesters. They say the police have over-reacted to the protesters and incited more violence by doing so. You can read more about that here.
Here is the best I can figure from the posts and blogs and reports I've read. There have been various protests around Pakistan protesting corruption, economic turmoil and the like. Some of the clashes have been handled terribly by police. But for the most part, Pakistan isn't covering the protests on a large scale. They see news of it on TV, but it isn't the biggest concern. There seems to be more national concern about that cricket match they lost. But the protests are still ongoing and they are causing President Zardari to make concessions about solutions to the economic problems.
As of now, America stands with Pakistan's government against the protests, but of course condemns the violence against the protesters by police and particularly violent protesters themselves. If you know where I can find more specific information to piece together a timeline, let me know and I'll cover in more detail on this blog.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, youtube.com, and dawn.com.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Pakistan is a country I hear about a lot, especially in terms of terrorism that affects America and relations with Israel. I don't know much about their internal conflicts though and I'm glad to finally learn.
Basic History
Pakistan's official name is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Geographically, is it located in southeast Asia and is considered part of the Middle East. Important bordering countries include: Afghanistan and Iran. The capital is Islamabad. The population is estimated at 170.6 millions people. The official languages are Urdu and English. Other recognized languages are Balochi, Pashto, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi .
Pakistan's most recent leader is President Asif Zardari. He is the widower of Benazir Bhutto. Click that link and read her wikipedia page. She is a person you should know. But back to President Zardari. He is elected by electoral college after the people vote in Pakistan. He is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Prime Minister is Yousaf Raza Gillani. The Prime Minister is the leader of the political party who receives the most voted for office in the bicameral legislature. The Prime Minister is the head of government.
In terms of independence, Pakistan as a modern state was established on August 14, 1947. This was when they declared their independence from the United Kingdom. Pakistan has fluctuated in terms of civilian, military, and religious rule over the years. As it currently stands, Pakistan is under Islamic law, but the people in charged are elected (indirectly) to office.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: presidential corruption, oppression of women, lack of basic human rights. Some of these I was surprised to read about as being problems in a democracy, but I guess it makes more sense when looked at through the Islamic lens. Womens' rights are not a priority for Islam.
It's been pretty difficult to get a specific timeline of what's been going on in Pakistan. But I've read a number of articles that decry the use of violence against the protesters. They say the police have over-reacted to the protesters and incited more violence by doing so. You can read more about that here.
Here is the best I can figure from the posts and blogs and reports I've read. There have been various protests around Pakistan protesting corruption, economic turmoil and the like. Some of the clashes have been handled terribly by police. But for the most part, Pakistan isn't covering the protests on a large scale. They see news of it on TV, but it isn't the biggest concern. There seems to be more national concern about that cricket match they lost. But the protests are still ongoing and they are causing President Zardari to make concessions about solutions to the economic problems.
As of now, America stands with Pakistan's government against the protests, but of course condemns the violence against the protesters by police and particularly violent protesters themselves. If you know where I can find more specific information to piece together a timeline, let me know and I'll cover in more detail on this blog.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, youtube.com, and dawn.com.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series: Syria
The protests in Syria kicked off January 26, 2011.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Syria is a country I've been looking forward to covering. From what I've heard about the Syrian protests, this country has a unique story to tell and a particularly strong base of angry protesters who aren't likely to go away until their demands are met. I'm hoping they have the intestinal fortitude to see their fight through to the end.
Basic History
Syria's official name is the Syrian Arab Republic. Geographically, it is located in western Asia, and it is considered a Middle East country. Important bordering countries include: Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. The capital is Damascus. The population is estimated at 22.5 millions people. The language is Arabic.
Syria's most recent leader is President Bashar al-Assad. He has been in power since 2000. Syria is under one party rule under its President. It also has two Vice Presidents, a Prime Minister, and a Council of Ministers. The president is approved by referendum for a 7 year term. Of course, the leader of the Ba'ath Party is always the one chosen for President. The Prime Minister is Muhammad Naji al-Otari. He has been in office since 2003. I can't seem to find the information about how the Prime Minister of Syria is chosen, so if you know, let me know and I'll edit this post.
The country has been under Emergency Law since 1963 when the Ba'ath Party came to power. The president appoints ministers, declares war and states of emergency, issues laws, amends the constitution, and appoints civil servants and military personnel subject to the law. Decrees issued by the president must be approved by the People's Council to become law, except during a state of emergency (which has been in force since before the ratification of the constitution).
In terms of independence, Syria got free of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and from the French in 1946. After the First World War, the area that included Syria came under French control in 1918 through the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916. For decades, there were various battles and fights for independence, with the French winning most of the fights and suppressing the uprisings against them. Then, in 1936, there was Treaty of Independence for Syria and France, but it was never ratified by the French legislature.Syria proclaimed its independence in 1941, but it wasn't recognized until 1944. Amid pressure from the Syrians and British, the French troops finally withdrew in 1946. Since 1970, Syria has been under the majority rule of the Ba'ath Party.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: poor human rights, lack of freedom, the permanent state of emergency.
On January 26th, Hasan Ali Akleh from Al-Hasakah, set himself on fire in protest against the government. This was the first self-immolation done in protest, and is seen as the genesis of the Syrian protests. Ironically, five days later, an interview with President al-Assad published in the Wall Street journal in which he referred to his country as immune from the kinds of mass protests taking place in Egypt.
As February began, Human Rights Watch, which has been doing a good job of keeping track of the true facts of the protests and the casualties, as well as civil rights violations, reported violence against people in the capital city of Damascus. They were holding a candle light vigil for for the Egyptian demonstrators. They were attacked by people in civilian clothing.
In early February, protests were scheduled for February 4th and 5th, outside the Syrian parliament in Damascus and for the Syrian embassies around the world. These were organized and highly publicized on Facebook and Twitter. The only protests were a few hundred people gathered in al-Hasakah. The protest was quickly squashed by Syrian authorities.
After the failure of attempts to a "day of rage," Al Jazeera called the country "a kingdom of silence" and identified key factors for stability within Syria as being strict security measures, the popularity of President Bashar al-Assad, and fears of potential sectarian violence in the aftermath of a government ouster (akin to neighbouring Iraq).
In middle to late February, spontaneous protests arose, but were quickly dispersed. Videos of the protests and their causes were uploaded onto YouTube. There were also protests outside the Libyan embassy in Damascus against Qaddifi. When security forces showed up, the protesters began chanting, "traitors are those that beat their people." The security forces did disperse the protest, but there was less violence.
March saw lots of interesting and unique protests happening. A number of young boys, all under the age of 15, were arrested for tagging walls with "the people want to overthrow the regime." Political prisoners started a hunger strike to protest "political detentions and oppression". The government responded by releasing people imprisoned for political crimes before March 8, 2011. And President al-Assad seeked a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 9, 2011.
The Syrian leadership has been accused of sending troops to Libya to help Qaddafi slaughter his people. Also, they have celebrated Mubarak's fall in Egypt simply in the hope that the new government will not be so friendly to Israel. Also, they have encouraged the disappearance of activists in Lebanon.
There has been a new call for mass protests on March 15th. This situation is still unresolved and there's no telling how it will turn out since al-Assad seems to have no problem with arresting and torturing his people.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, http://www.aolnews.com/, and http://www.alarabiya.n/.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Syria is a country I've been looking forward to covering. From what I've heard about the Syrian protests, this country has a unique story to tell and a particularly strong base of angry protesters who aren't likely to go away until their demands are met. I'm hoping they have the intestinal fortitude to see their fight through to the end.
Basic History
Syria's official name is the Syrian Arab Republic. Geographically, it is located in western Asia, and it is considered a Middle East country. Important bordering countries include: Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. The capital is Damascus. The population is estimated at 22.5 millions people. The language is Arabic.
Syria's most recent leader is President Bashar al-Assad. He has been in power since 2000. Syria is under one party rule under its President. It also has two Vice Presidents, a Prime Minister, and a Council of Ministers. The president is approved by referendum for a 7 year term. Of course, the leader of the Ba'ath Party is always the one chosen for President. The Prime Minister is Muhammad Naji al-Otari. He has been in office since 2003. I can't seem to find the information about how the Prime Minister of Syria is chosen, so if you know, let me know and I'll edit this post.
The country has been under Emergency Law since 1963 when the Ba'ath Party came to power. The president appoints ministers, declares war and states of emergency, issues laws, amends the constitution, and appoints civil servants and military personnel subject to the law. Decrees issued by the president must be approved by the People's Council to become law, except during a state of emergency (which has been in force since before the ratification of the constitution).
In terms of independence, Syria got free of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and from the French in 1946. After the First World War, the area that included Syria came under French control in 1918 through the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916. For decades, there were various battles and fights for independence, with the French winning most of the fights and suppressing the uprisings against them. Then, in 1936, there was Treaty of Independence for Syria and France, but it was never ratified by the French legislature.Syria proclaimed its independence in 1941, but it wasn't recognized until 1944. Amid pressure from the Syrians and British, the French troops finally withdrew in 1946. Since 1970, Syria has been under the majority rule of the Ba'ath Party.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: poor human rights, lack of freedom, the permanent state of emergency.
On January 26th, Hasan Ali Akleh from Al-Hasakah, set himself on fire in protest against the government. This was the first self-immolation done in protest, and is seen as the genesis of the Syrian protests. Ironically, five days later, an interview with President al-Assad published in the Wall Street journal in which he referred to his country as immune from the kinds of mass protests taking place in Egypt.
As February began, Human Rights Watch, which has been doing a good job of keeping track of the true facts of the protests and the casualties, as well as civil rights violations, reported violence against people in the capital city of Damascus. They were holding a candle light vigil for for the Egyptian demonstrators. They were attacked by people in civilian clothing.
In early February, protests were scheduled for February 4th and 5th, outside the Syrian parliament in Damascus and for the Syrian embassies around the world. These were organized and highly publicized on Facebook and Twitter. The only protests were a few hundred people gathered in al-Hasakah. The protest was quickly squashed by Syrian authorities.
After the failure of attempts to a "day of rage," Al Jazeera called the country "a kingdom of silence" and identified key factors for stability within Syria as being strict security measures, the popularity of President Bashar al-Assad, and fears of potential sectarian violence in the aftermath of a government ouster (akin to neighbouring Iraq).
In middle to late February, spontaneous protests arose, but were quickly dispersed. Videos of the protests and their causes were uploaded onto YouTube. There were also protests outside the Libyan embassy in Damascus against Qaddifi. When security forces showed up, the protesters began chanting, "traitors are those that beat their people." The security forces did disperse the protest, but there was less violence.
March saw lots of interesting and unique protests happening. A number of young boys, all under the age of 15, were arrested for tagging walls with "the people want to overthrow the regime." Political prisoners started a hunger strike to protest "political detentions and oppression". The government responded by releasing people imprisoned for political crimes before March 8, 2011. And President al-Assad seeked a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 9, 2011.
The Syrian leadership has been accused of sending troops to Libya to help Qaddafi slaughter his people. Also, they have celebrated Mubarak's fall in Egypt simply in the hope that the new government will not be so friendly to Israel. Also, they have encouraged the disappearance of activists in Lebanon.
There has been a new call for mass protests on March 15th. This situation is still unresolved and there's no telling how it will turn out since al-Assad seems to have no problem with arresting and torturing his people.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, http://www.aolnews.com/, and http://www.alarabiya.n/.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami
I want to take a short break from discussing the protests in the Middle East and Africa for just another moment.
I hope you have heard about the earthquake and how devastating it was. But I also hope you have heard about how much more devastating it would have been if not for the preparedness of the Japanese people.
The death toll is constantly rising and they are still discovering more people missing. But there is good news too. Some communities, where all the people should have been affected by the waves, are safe in very large numbers. They followed the Japanese procedures of evacuation for earthquake and they got to places of safely very quickly and avoided being washed out to sea by the tsunami.
If the waves produced from that earthquake had reached North America's and Central America's west coasts, they wouldn't have been nearly as prepared. The waves did hit the coasts, but they were not tsunami waves, so thank God. But America doesn't have the investments in infrastructure that Japan does, so had those waves happened, we would have been screwed.
I'm glad there's been so much coverage of what's going on right now in Japan. They will be reeling from this for a while, but in these current times, it makes me happy that we have more than just a global economy, we have a global community.
CNN.com and The New York Times Online both have continuously updated information about what's happening in Japan as it happens.
I hope you have heard about the earthquake and how devastating it was. But I also hope you have heard about how much more devastating it would have been if not for the preparedness of the Japanese people.
The death toll is constantly rising and they are still discovering more people missing. But there is good news too. Some communities, where all the people should have been affected by the waves, are safe in very large numbers. They followed the Japanese procedures of evacuation for earthquake and they got to places of safely very quickly and avoided being washed out to sea by the tsunami.
If the waves produced from that earthquake had reached North America's and Central America's west coasts, they wouldn't have been nearly as prepared. The waves did hit the coasts, but they were not tsunami waves, so thank God. But America doesn't have the investments in infrastructure that Japan does, so had those waves happened, we would have been screwed.
I'm glad there's been so much coverage of what's going on right now in Japan. They will be reeling from this for a while, but in these current times, it makes me happy that we have more than just a global economy, we have a global community.
CNN.com and The New York Times Online both have continuously updated information about what's happening in Japan as it happens.
Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series: Yemen
The protests in Yemen kicked off on January 18, 2011.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Yemen comes next in the chronological order. You don't hear much about Yemen in American news. You may hear more if you go to the global news pages of websites, but this definitely one of those countries of which America is wholly uninformed about the people and places and culture that makes Yemen the country it is.
Basic History
Yemen's official name is the Republic of Yemen. Geographically, Yemen is located in southwest Asia, and it considered a Middle East country. Important bordering countries include: Saudia Arabia and Oman. The capital is Sana'a. Yemen is actually made up of a mainland and over 200 islands, the largest of which is called Socotra. The population estimated at 23.6 million people. The language is Arabic.
Yemen's most recent leader is President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He has been ruling Yemen for over 32 years. The President is the head of state, and they have a Prime Minister who is the head of government, over the two legislative Parliament bodies. The Prime Minister is Ali Mohammed Mujur. Their government is setup as a presidential democracy, though the upper body of Parliament's members are all appointed by the President.
In terms of independence, Yemen gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1918. Yemen (and the entire region of southern Arabia) has a long history of being under the control of whoever the big controlling power was at the time, going all the way back to 12th century BC. The country was two separate entities ruled by a monarchy and the British. North and South Yemen each gained their republics in the 1960s and in 1990, they united at the Republic of Yemen.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: unemployment, government corruption, the government's plans to modify Yemen's constitution, and poor living conditions.
The Yemeni protesters chose the color pink to signify their revolution attempts as a Jasmine Revolution, and to suggest their non-violent intentions.
The main problem outside of economic problems for the Yemeni people was President Saleh's plan to run again for President and then eventually pass the Presidency on to his son. The people saw this as outrageous since he'd already run again for the last election though he'd previously promised not to, and hand-selecting his son to run went against the ideals of a republic. The big problem with President Saleh's proposed changes to government is that he would be allowed to be President for life, no election needed.
The rising opposition to Saleh within his own government has been growing for years. The unrest amongst his people has been growing too, surging in recent history as food prices rose. The initial protests were in the capital city of Sana'a as well as southern Yemen cities. The protests is the south were considerably more aggressive. The protests were in the thousands and called for a stop to the constitutional reforms, and improvement of the Yemeni economy, and the ouster of President Saleh.
The Yemeni government responded to those first protests with suggested changes, but they were rejected by the opposition as not enough. They wanted to ensure that Saleh and his son would not be able to rule indefinitely. The protests continued around Yemen, and there were reports of the protests not being "popular protests" like in Egypt and Tunisia, but being wholly organized by the opposition parties.
A particularly violent day in Yemen occurred when the protesters celebrated Hosni Mubarak's ouster from Egypt. They were attacked with sticks, knives, and assault rifles. This was February 11th. Pretty much after this point, there were commonplace reports of protesters being beaten by government anti-protest forces. The numbers of protesters grew too. A significant portion of the daily protesters were identified as college and university students.
As February wore on, the calls from the protesters were for the ouster of the regime. Saleh was trying to negotiate with opposition parties to prevent his ouster. There were also pro-government rallies being held around the country. As the number of protesters being killed and wounded and arrested rose, the protesters called for the violence to stop. Yemeni clerics declared the violence against the protesters a crime.
At the end of February, some members of the government resigned in protest of the violence being used against the protesters. As February turned into March, an opposition leader rejected Saleh's proposal of a unity government and called for his ouster. Also, the number of protesters swelled in various cities from tens of thousands to almost 200,000 people.
March has seen the opposition offer Saleh a proposal for him to remain in office but leave by the end of 2011. He rejected this proposal. It has also seen the Yemeni Air Force dropping bombs in locations where thousands of protesters have gathered. More members of the ruling party resigned from Parliament. Over a million people showed up for a protest in southern Yemen. Some members of The Army switched sides to protest against the government.
Saleh offered reforms to switch to a parliamentary system of government. It was rejected as "too little too late". He has blamed the United States and Israel, just like almost every other leader in countries with protests happening. What's going on in Yemen right now is still developing daily.
The most recent news I have of the protests is that March 11th was being called the "Friday of No Return". The protesters were hunkering down to let Saleh know the only resolution was for him to step down as President. March 12th marks the second day of harsh crackdowns on anti-government protesters. Security forces have opened fire on the protesters and have killed people. There's no telling to what height these clashes will escalate, or when the end will come in.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, http://www.youtube.com/, and bbc.co.uk..
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Yemen comes next in the chronological order. You don't hear much about Yemen in American news. You may hear more if you go to the global news pages of websites, but this definitely one of those countries of which America is wholly uninformed about the people and places and culture that makes Yemen the country it is.
Basic History
Yemen's official name is the Republic of Yemen. Geographically, Yemen is located in southwest Asia, and it considered a Middle East country. Important bordering countries include: Saudia Arabia and Oman. The capital is Sana'a. Yemen is actually made up of a mainland and over 200 islands, the largest of which is called Socotra. The population estimated at 23.6 million people. The language is Arabic.
Yemen's most recent leader is President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He has been ruling Yemen for over 32 years. The President is the head of state, and they have a Prime Minister who is the head of government, over the two legislative Parliament bodies. The Prime Minister is Ali Mohammed Mujur. Their government is setup as a presidential democracy, though the upper body of Parliament's members are all appointed by the President.
In terms of independence, Yemen gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1918. Yemen (and the entire region of southern Arabia) has a long history of being under the control of whoever the big controlling power was at the time, going all the way back to 12th century BC. The country was two separate entities ruled by a monarchy and the British. North and South Yemen each gained their republics in the 1960s and in 1990, they united at the Republic of Yemen.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: unemployment, government corruption, the government's plans to modify Yemen's constitution, and poor living conditions.
The Yemeni protesters chose the color pink to signify their revolution attempts as a Jasmine Revolution, and to suggest their non-violent intentions.
The main problem outside of economic problems for the Yemeni people was President Saleh's plan to run again for President and then eventually pass the Presidency on to his son. The people saw this as outrageous since he'd already run again for the last election though he'd previously promised not to, and hand-selecting his son to run went against the ideals of a republic. The big problem with President Saleh's proposed changes to government is that he would be allowed to be President for life, no election needed.
The rising opposition to Saleh within his own government has been growing for years. The unrest amongst his people has been growing too, surging in recent history as food prices rose. The initial protests were in the capital city of Sana'a as well as southern Yemen cities. The protests is the south were considerably more aggressive. The protests were in the thousands and called for a stop to the constitutional reforms, and improvement of the Yemeni economy, and the ouster of President Saleh.
The Yemeni government responded to those first protests with suggested changes, but they were rejected by the opposition as not enough. They wanted to ensure that Saleh and his son would not be able to rule indefinitely. The protests continued around Yemen, and there were reports of the protests not being "popular protests" like in Egypt and Tunisia, but being wholly organized by the opposition parties.
A particularly violent day in Yemen occurred when the protesters celebrated Hosni Mubarak's ouster from Egypt. They were attacked with sticks, knives, and assault rifles. This was February 11th. Pretty much after this point, there were commonplace reports of protesters being beaten by government anti-protest forces. The numbers of protesters grew too. A significant portion of the daily protesters were identified as college and university students.
As February wore on, the calls from the protesters were for the ouster of the regime. Saleh was trying to negotiate with opposition parties to prevent his ouster. There were also pro-government rallies being held around the country. As the number of protesters being killed and wounded and arrested rose, the protesters called for the violence to stop. Yemeni clerics declared the violence against the protesters a crime.
At the end of February, some members of the government resigned in protest of the violence being used against the protesters. As February turned into March, an opposition leader rejected Saleh's proposal of a unity government and called for his ouster. Also, the number of protesters swelled in various cities from tens of thousands to almost 200,000 people.
March has seen the opposition offer Saleh a proposal for him to remain in office but leave by the end of 2011. He rejected this proposal. It has also seen the Yemeni Air Force dropping bombs in locations where thousands of protesters have gathered. More members of the ruling party resigned from Parliament. Over a million people showed up for a protest in southern Yemen. Some members of The Army switched sides to protest against the government.
Saleh offered reforms to switch to a parliamentary system of government. It was rejected as "too little too late". He has blamed the United States and Israel, just like almost every other leader in countries with protests happening. What's going on in Yemen right now is still developing daily.
The most recent news I have of the protests is that March 11th was being called the "Friday of No Return". The protesters were hunkering down to let Saleh know the only resolution was for him to step down as President. March 12th marks the second day of harsh crackdowns on anti-government protesters. Security forces have opened fire on the protesters and have killed people. There's no telling to what height these clashes will escalate, or when the end will come in.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, http://www.youtube.com/, and bbc.co.uk..
Friday, March 11, 2011
Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series: Oman
The protests in Oman kicked off on January 17, 2011.
See the whole Middle East/Aftican Revolution/Protest Series.
Oman is up next. don't remember hearing much about these protests except that American journalists didn't think much of the way the Omani government handled the protests.
Basic History
Oman's official name is the Sultanate of Oman. Geographically, Oman is located in southwest Asia, but it is considered a Middle East Country. Important bordering countries include: Saudia Arabia, and Yemen. The capital is Muscat. The population is estimated at 3.8 million people. The language is Arabic.
Oman's most recent leader is Sultan Qābūs ibn Saʻīd as-Saʻīd (surname Qābūs). His name in English is Qaboos bin Said Al Said (surname Qaboos). The Sultan of Oman runs Oman as an absolute monarchy. He is the head of state and also the head of government, and he appoints a cabinet to assist him. In the 1990s, he added an elected advisory council, but Omanis don't have suffrage for all their citizens, so the people still aren't all represented.
In terms of independence, Oman has been mostly independent. It was never part of the British empire, and the Portuguese only held coastal ports for a short time period.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: unemployment, lack of representation in government, low wages, unfair distribution of oil revenue, and high costs of living. It's interesting that the Omanis have specified throughout their protests that they are not challenging the rule of their sultan, they are simply asking for reforms.
The protests have included marches, riots, and sit-ins.
It started on January 17th in the capital city Muscat with 200 protesters marching for higher wages. The protests continued the next day. They demanded and end to corruption and had a list of demands. They also carried signs of support for the sultan.
At the end of February, the protests spread to other cities, specifically Sohar. The protests had been mostly peaceful, but as we entered March, the protests got more violent as the police clashed with them. At least one person has been killed and many injured by fights with police and rubber bullets. At one point, the set a market in Sohar on fire. It definitely went against the grain of most protests because they didn't remain peaceful, yet they maintained allegiance to their sultan.
The protests have spread outside of Muscat and Sohar as March has continued. One thing that is helping these protests not spread out of control, and to keep the confidence of the people is the fact that the sultan has responded very quickly by instituting some of the reforms requested. He removed specific people from the cabinet. He also decreed that students would be given a stipend from the government. Also, there has been an independent institution setup for consumer protection.
The Omani sultan would be upheld as an example of how to deal with these region-wide protests, except the violence against his people is unacceptable. Time will tell if more reforms are instituted and whether the Omani people remain faithful to their sultan.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, http://www.reuters.com/, and http://www.bbc.co.uk/.
See the whole Middle East/Aftican Revolution/Protest Series.
Oman is up next. don't remember hearing much about these protests except that American journalists didn't think much of the way the Omani government handled the protests.
Basic History
Oman's official name is the Sultanate of Oman. Geographically, Oman is located in southwest Asia, but it is considered a Middle East Country. Important bordering countries include: Saudia Arabia, and Yemen. The capital is Muscat. The population is estimated at 3.8 million people. The language is Arabic.
Oman's most recent leader is Sultan Qābūs ibn Saʻīd as-Saʻīd (surname Qābūs). His name in English is Qaboos bin Said Al Said (surname Qaboos). The Sultan of Oman runs Oman as an absolute monarchy. He is the head of state and also the head of government, and he appoints a cabinet to assist him. In the 1990s, he added an elected advisory council, but Omanis don't have suffrage for all their citizens, so the people still aren't all represented.
In terms of independence, Oman has been mostly independent. It was never part of the British empire, and the Portuguese only held coastal ports for a short time period.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: unemployment, lack of representation in government, low wages, unfair distribution of oil revenue, and high costs of living. It's interesting that the Omanis have specified throughout their protests that they are not challenging the rule of their sultan, they are simply asking for reforms.
The protests have included marches, riots, and sit-ins.
It started on January 17th in the capital city Muscat with 200 protesters marching for higher wages. The protests continued the next day. They demanded and end to corruption and had a list of demands. They also carried signs of support for the sultan.
At the end of February, the protests spread to other cities, specifically Sohar. The protests had been mostly peaceful, but as we entered March, the protests got more violent as the police clashed with them. At least one person has been killed and many injured by fights with police and rubber bullets. At one point, the set a market in Sohar on fire. It definitely went against the grain of most protests because they didn't remain peaceful, yet they maintained allegiance to their sultan.
The protests have spread outside of Muscat and Sohar as March has continued. One thing that is helping these protests not spread out of control, and to keep the confidence of the people is the fact that the sultan has responded very quickly by instituting some of the reforms requested. He removed specific people from the cabinet. He also decreed that students would be given a stipend from the government. Also, there has been an independent institution setup for consumer protection.
The Omani sultan would be upheld as an example of how to deal with these region-wide protests, except the violence against his people is unacceptable. Time will tell if more reforms are instituted and whether the Omani people remain faithful to their sultan.
More information can be found at wikipedia.org, http://www.reuters.com/, and http://www.bbc.co.uk/.
Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series: Lebanon
The protests in Lebanon kicked off on January 12, 2011.
See the whole Middle East/Aftican Revolution/Protest Series.
The next country is Lebanon. Theirs is the second protest that started in the new year. This particular country didn't receive front page coverage in the newspapers that I read frequently, so I particularly enjoyed doing research into what happened here. This country was the first one several I'll cover that have only been mentioned in passing in most American journalism.
Basic History
Lebanon's official name is the Republic of Lebanon. Geographically, it is located in Western Asia, but it is considered a Middle East country. The capital is Beirut. The population is 4.2 million people. The main language is Arabic.
Lebanon's most recent leader is Michel Suleiman. He became president first as a compromise between the polarized sides of Parliament, but he was elected to office in an official election by Parliament in 2008. Lebanon has a unique governmental organization. The President has to be Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister has to be a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of the Parliament has to be a Shi'a Muslim. All the major political parties in Lebanon are setup according to religion.
In terms of Lebanese independence, they've been independent from the French since the 1940s. They declared independence in 1941; it was recognized in 1943, French troops actually left Lebanese soil in 1946. Beirut was considered a very stable country until the Hezbollah war with Israel in 2006. Now, it's rebuilding it's infrastructure. But Beirut was able to avoid the financial recession that rocked most of the globe because of tightly regulated banks.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reason for the protests include: lack of secular politics, corruption, and a desire for reform of Lebanese confessionalism.
There was supposed to be a Special Tribunal for Lebanon convened. The goal for that meeting was to indict Hezbollah members for the assassination of a previous Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister refused to call an emergency cabinet session to discuss cooperation with the Tribunal.
On January 12, 2011, the government collapsed after Energy Minister Gebran Bassil announced that all ten opposition ministers had resigned following months of warnings by Hezbollah that it would not remain inactive should there be indictments against the group. On January 17, 2011, the indictments were issued.
The government had lost more than one third of its members and so President Suleiman announced (after accepting the resignations) that according to the Lebanese constitution, he would be responsible for forming a new government and the cabinet would run the government until the new one is complete.
The actual protests didn't begin until Sunday, February 27, 2011 with a rally in Beirut against Confessionalism. There was another protest on Sunday March 6, 2011 that spread to other cities and grew in size and intensity. Where these protests will go is still unknown, but at least they have a uniform claim for secular reform of the sectarian government.
More information about the Lebanese protests can be found at , wikipedia.org, NOWLebanon.com, and The Los Angeles Times.
See the whole Middle East/Aftican Revolution/Protest Series.
The next country is Lebanon. Theirs is the second protest that started in the new year. This particular country didn't receive front page coverage in the newspapers that I read frequently, so I particularly enjoyed doing research into what happened here. This country was the first one several I'll cover that have only been mentioned in passing in most American journalism.
Basic History
Lebanon's official name is the Republic of Lebanon. Geographically, it is located in Western Asia, but it is considered a Middle East country. The capital is Beirut. The population is 4.2 million people. The main language is Arabic.
Lebanon's most recent leader is Michel Suleiman. He became president first as a compromise between the polarized sides of Parliament, but he was elected to office in an official election by Parliament in 2008. Lebanon has a unique governmental organization. The President has to be Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister has to be a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of the Parliament has to be a Shi'a Muslim. All the major political parties in Lebanon are setup according to religion.
In terms of Lebanese independence, they've been independent from the French since the 1940s. They declared independence in 1941; it was recognized in 1943, French troops actually left Lebanese soil in 1946. Beirut was considered a very stable country until the Hezbollah war with Israel in 2006. Now, it's rebuilding it's infrastructure. But Beirut was able to avoid the financial recession that rocked most of the globe because of tightly regulated banks.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reason for the protests include: lack of secular politics, corruption, and a desire for reform of Lebanese confessionalism.
There was supposed to be a Special Tribunal for Lebanon convened. The goal for that meeting was to indict Hezbollah members for the assassination of a previous Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister refused to call an emergency cabinet session to discuss cooperation with the Tribunal.
On January 12, 2011, the government collapsed after Energy Minister Gebran Bassil announced that all ten opposition ministers had resigned following months of warnings by Hezbollah that it would not remain inactive should there be indictments against the group. On January 17, 2011, the indictments were issued.
The government had lost more than one third of its members and so President Suleiman announced (after accepting the resignations) that according to the Lebanese constitution, he would be responsible for forming a new government and the cabinet would run the government until the new one is complete.
The actual protests didn't begin until Sunday, February 27, 2011 with a rally in Beirut against Confessionalism. There was another protest on Sunday March 6, 2011 that spread to other cities and grew in size and intensity. Where these protests will go is still unknown, but at least they have a uniform claim for secular reform of the sectarian government.
More information about the Lebanese protests can be found at , wikipedia.org, NOWLebanon.com, and The Los Angeles Times.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series: Jordan
The protests in Jordan kicked off on January 7, 2011.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Jordan comes next in chronological order. I don't remember ever reading a whole bunch about what was happening in Jordan. I was actually surprised to hear that their protests started so early in the new year. But that doesn't matter now because I am learning about what happened so you can learn too.
Basic History
Jordan's official name is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Geographically, it is located in Western Asia, though it is considered a Middle East country. Important bordering countries include: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, and Israel. The capital is Amman. The population is estimated at 6.4 million people. The official language is Arabic, though Jordanians speak at least ten others.
Jordan's most recent leader is King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein. He's been ruling since 1999 when his father died. Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with representative government. He's been useful for reaffirming the peace treaty with Israel and relations with America. So at least in terms of our interests, Jordan was on point.
In terms of independence, Jordan used to be called Transjordan and under British supervision. After the supervision ended in 1946, the Transjordanian parliament chose Abdullah I to be the first king. No major fights or anything like that needed to happen. This country has had issues with Israel and the West Bank, most notable revoking the citizenship of Palestinnians on the West Bank, so Israel can't resettle them back into Jordan.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: food inflation, wage/salary stagnation, lack of democracy, and unemployment.
Jordan has a history of persecuting journalists and activists. People who get arrested are not surprised when they get tortured by security officials. And the government officials weren't chosen by the people. That plus high food prices led to thousands protesting in the capital of Amman and other cities. They pointedly called out the government, especially the (now former) Prime Minister, Samir Rifai.
On February 1st, the early protests were responded to by King Abdullah II by firing his cabinet. He asked Marouf el-Bakhit to form a new cabinet.
The protests late in January and in February were coordinated by the Muslim Brotherhood which is active in Jordan and other Middle East countries. They got thousands of people to come out and protest and got results. They felt that Bakhit wasn't really about democracy and couldn't help usher in leader who would introduce real change.
The government has promised to end gerrymandering so constituency representation was more even. They've lifted the requirement for permission to protest. They've promised press freedoms, reduction in food prices, and salary increases. Also, opposition groups have been included in the new government that has been formed.
The protests aren't done yet. The opposition is still waiting to see how the promises are implemented.
More information can be found at latimes.com, wikipedia.org, and bbc.co.uk.
See the whole Middle East/African Revolution/Protest Series.
Jordan comes next in chronological order. I don't remember ever reading a whole bunch about what was happening in Jordan. I was actually surprised to hear that their protests started so early in the new year. But that doesn't matter now because I am learning about what happened so you can learn too.
Basic History
Jordan's official name is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Geographically, it is located in Western Asia, though it is considered a Middle East country. Important bordering countries include: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, and Israel. The capital is Amman. The population is estimated at 6.4 million people. The official language is Arabic, though Jordanians speak at least ten others.
Jordan's most recent leader is King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein. He's been ruling since 1999 when his father died. Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with representative government. He's been useful for reaffirming the peace treaty with Israel and relations with America. So at least in terms of our interests, Jordan was on point.
In terms of independence, Jordan used to be called Transjordan and under British supervision. After the supervision ended in 1946, the Transjordanian parliament chose Abdullah I to be the first king. No major fights or anything like that needed to happen. This country has had issues with Israel and the West Bank, most notable revoking the citizenship of Palestinnians on the West Bank, so Israel can't resettle them back into Jordan.
The Protests
The main causes cited as the reasons for the protests include: food inflation, wage/salary stagnation, lack of democracy, and unemployment.
Jordan has a history of persecuting journalists and activists. People who get arrested are not surprised when they get tortured by security officials. And the government officials weren't chosen by the people. That plus high food prices led to thousands protesting in the capital of Amman and other cities. They pointedly called out the government, especially the (now former) Prime Minister, Samir Rifai.
On February 1st, the early protests were responded to by King Abdullah II by firing his cabinet. He asked Marouf el-Bakhit to form a new cabinet.
The protests late in January and in February were coordinated by the Muslim Brotherhood which is active in Jordan and other Middle East countries. They got thousands of people to come out and protest and got results. They felt that Bakhit wasn't really about democracy and couldn't help usher in leader who would introduce real change.
The government has promised to end gerrymandering so constituency representation was more even. They've lifted the requirement for permission to protest. They've promised press freedoms, reduction in food prices, and salary increases. Also, opposition groups have been included in the new government that has been formed.
The protests aren't done yet. The opposition is still waiting to see how the promises are implemented.
More information can be found at latimes.com, wikipedia.org, and bbc.co.uk.
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