College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  International Studies

Yes…they are!

Tunisia was first…and then the big bang came from Egypt…..and for 10 days and counting anti-government protesters have been taking to the streets and recently the pro-government guys have also….the inevitable clashes….the blood, the violence and the injuries were something that we all thought would have come earlier……but it is here now and the people will have to decide if the efforts by Mubarak are enough to satisfy their lust for freedom…..

Mubarak said he will not seek another term….and that he will leave when this one is up…..and then he appointed a VP…something Egypt has NOT had in 30 years……and then that VP starts laying blame for the violence…..

“When there are demonstrations of this size, there will be foreigners who come and take advantage and they have an agenda to raise the energy of the protesters,” Vice President Omar Suleiman said……..

Only bad guys from the outside would do such dastardly things in Cairo…..(what a yawn)

The rest of the Middle East has been watching the drama unfold in Egypt…..and other leaders in the surrounding countries have taken the cue….and started the reform process……(funny how that works)….

Algeria……President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will lift a nearly 20-year-old state of emergency in the “very close future,” the state news agency announced Thursday. The move is one of several demanded by demonstrators in recent protests against the government, which imposed the emergency decree in a crackdown against Islamic political parties in 1992.

Jordan…….King Abdullah has acknowledged the reform process “has suffered from many shortcomings” and young Jordanians were frustrated by lack of opportunity. He has instructed his new government to re-examine the election law and urgently tackle corruption — but his appointment of former intelligence chief Marouf Al Bakhit as his new premier was also seen as an attempt to shore up support among Jordan’s tribes, the bedrock of loyalty to the monarchy.

Yemen……President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen since 1978, has attempted to quell growing discontent by announcing that he won’t seek re-election in 2013.   Saleh announced  that he would not seek a new term or install his son to replace him. He called on opponents to join in talks aimed at “a sustainable and reconcilable political agreement.”

Syria……President Bashar al-Assad took power in 2000 after the death of his father, who had ruled since 1971. In an interview published Monday in The Wall Street Journal, he said Middle Eastern leaders must “see the need of reform” before protests like those in Egypt and Tunisia break out, because by then, “it’s too late.”

Funny how quickly these long time leaders have an epiphany when they are looking down the barrel of history…huh?

How many would have made such proclamations if Tunisia and Egypt had not happened?

So, you bet your butt these people are running scared…..and a change is NOT looking too bad at this point in time……but are they serious?  Or is this just a typical move by despots to buy some time?  And how long will it be until the Saudis see the light?