Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
Look how the objectives of the Arab revolutions have not been achieved! Where have the demands raised by youth on Arab squares and streets during the revolutions gone? The situation now is not better than before.
We are in dire need of a just tyrant, a religious leader or a military regime. We are people who cannot reconcile themselves to democracy, justice or freedom. That is why it is better to be ruled by emergency rules as they are better than the outcome of ballot boxes.
Let us go back into history. The French Revolution caused a great upheaval in political, economic, social and cultural fields. The revolution turned France from a country ruled by a king claiming divine right and absolute power into a republic ruled by the will of its people.
The French Revolution started in 1789, that is 225 years ago. It raised slogans of freedom, justice and equality in society. It also demanded the establishment of a democratic, republican regime.
The French Revolution, however, caused conflicts that almost led to its failure and trampled on all its principles, as an authoritarian regime returned through Napoleon, who declared himself emperor in 1804. The monarchy returned in 1814, represented by Louis XVIII.
Afterwards, Charles X came to power in 1824 and a revolution erupted against him in 1848. Dictatorship reared its ugly head yet again when Napoleon III came to power in 1852. The republic was not established until France was defeated in its war against Prussia in 1870. It was nearly a century before the aims of the revolution were achieved.
The easiest step in changing an authoritarian or dictatorial regime is not the overthrow of the regime. The hardest step is building an alternative regime, particularly in the face of the deep state, which controls the system behind the scenes. This deep state always refuses to offer real concessions and uses all its weight for the return of the previous situation, or it maintains the status quo by stoking conflicts.
Therefore, the process of building in the Arab world will take a long time. It will take time to remove the ailments in the minds and hearts of people. It is hard to get rid of these diseases with a passing revolution or more than one radical revolution.
Look how the objectives of the Arab revolutions have not been achieved! Where have the demands raised by youth on Arab squares and streets during the revolutions gone? The situation now is not better than before.
We are in dire need of a just tyrant, a religious leader or a military regime. We are people who cannot reconcile themselves to democracy, justice or freedom. That is why it is better to be ruled by emergency rules as they are better than the outcome of ballot boxes.
Let us go back into history. The French Revolution caused a great upheaval in political, economic, social and cultural fields. The revolution turned France from a country ruled by a king claiming divine right and absolute power into a republic ruled by the will of its people.
The French Revolution started in 1789, that is 225 years ago. It raised slogans of freedom, justice and equality in society. It also demanded the establishment of a democratic, republican regime.
The French Revolution, however, caused conflicts that almost led to its failure and trampled on all its principles, as an authoritarian regime returned through Napoleon, who declared himself emperor in 1804. The monarchy returned in 1814, represented by Louis XVIII.
Afterwards, Charles X came to power in 1824 and a revolution erupted against him in 1848. Dictatorship reared its ugly head yet again when Napoleon III came to power in 1852. The republic was not established until France was defeated in its war against Prussia in 1870. It was nearly a century before the aims of the revolution were achieved.
The easiest step in changing an authoritarian or dictatorial regime is not the overthrow of the regime. The hardest step is building an alternative regime, particularly in the face of the deep state, which controls the system behind the scenes. This deep state always refuses to offer real concessions and uses all its weight for the return of the previous situation, or it maintains the status quo by stoking conflicts.
Therefore, the process of building in the Arab world will take a long time. It will take time to remove the ailments in the minds and hearts of people. It is hard to get rid of these diseases with a passing revolution or more than one radical revolution.
