For the last few weeks, I have been, like so many other people from the Muslim world, engrossed in the uprising in 
Libya hoping for a quick end to Qaddafi’s dictatorship. As someone who comes form a country where one after the other dictator has conveniently defiled the national constitution in the name of national service, this new tide of popular uprisings against dictators is really heartening.
This new wave of popular revolutions not only dispels the often racilized views of Arabs and Muslims (A FOX news commentator recently declared that Arabs were genetically unfit for democracy) but also sends a strong message to any future adventurers in our part of the world. It seems our people will no longer allow local dictatorial puppets to become the local policemen for the imperial interests.
These new revolutions, of course, should also be a lesson to the generals in Pakistan: it seems they can no longer oust popularly elected governments in the name of national security.
There is an ironic moment in Pervez Musharraf’s (remember him?) post-coup speech where he indicts Nawaz Sharif’s government for “politicizing the armed forces.” The fact that he does that with a straight face exactly at the moment when he himself has suddenly become a politician is akin to work of art in sophistry.
I also like this image of Musharraf in uniform being greeted in Lahore as he canvasses for his so-called referendum: a general playing a political without even a hint of irony.
let us hope that this new wave of popular uprisings in the Middle East will forestall any future military adventurism.
Next, we need to teach some lessons to our over-fed and anachronistic waderas and zamindars. I am sure there time will come soon.
Related articles
- ‘Arab Spring’ becoming the Arab Year? (cnn.com)
- Libya After Gadhafi: Transitioning from Rebellion to Rule | STRATFOR (fereastrasprelumestratfor.wordpress.com)
- The Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons from the Democratic Uprising by Jean-Pierre Filiu: review (telegraph.co.uk)
- Gaddafi compound reveals dictator’s taste for bling – and Condoleezza Rice (guardian.co.uk)
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