NOVANEWS
What has become of the Arab Spring?
What has become of the “Arab spring ?”
”The only genuine revolution to have taken place is an intellectual one : the region’s peoples have become aware that they can become masters of their destiny, and in a spirit of non-violence, overturn dictatorship. This is far from a negligible achievement ; it is also the condition for the social and political revolutions that we so whole-heartedly wish for. When the Great Powers appear to have agr
”The only genuine revolution to have taken place is an intellectual one : the region’s peoples have become aware that they can become masters of their destiny, and in a spirit of non-violence, overturn dictatorship. This is far from a negligible achievement ; it is also the condition for the social and political revolutions that we so whole-heartedly wish for. When the Great Powers appear to have agr
eed not to find a solution for Syria, when the former allies of the dictators pretend today to be the best friends of the people and of democracy, when nothing has yet been won in political terms, it is vital that the people remain mobilized, that they not retreat and—avoiding the trap of blind violence (which the Egyptian military may well encourage to justify a further crack-down)—agree on priorities for a democratic resistance. The strength of the mass movements came from their unshakable unity against the dictators ; their weakness is due to the lack of leadership in creating a shared vision of the future. National mobilizations must place themselves at the heart of regional dynamics, of new South-South economic relations, and draw strength from the new multipolar international balance of power. If the energy of the Arab uprisings is to be transformed into revolutionary power, the voices heard on Tahrir Square must call for more than the end of the regime, and determine with greater lucidity and clarity the national and regional dimensions of their resistance. Mass mobilization is necessary, but the revolutionary ideal remains to be defined ; the revolution has yet to come.”
Tariq Ramadan
