Arab Spring

"This just in. Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead."
-Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live


Looks like Muammar Gaddafi is still dead, too.  After 42 years of inflicting untold suffering upon his own people he was shot in the street like a rapid dog.  As usual western society can only see this action from their own  point of view and are calling for an investigation into his death since "proper judicial procedures" were not  followed. Well, Western style proper judicial procedures weren't  followed but I don't know what proper judicial procedure is in Libya when it comes to mass-murdering despots.

What began in Tunisia back in December of 2010 led to the ouster of Tunisian president Zine El Ben Ali and  to the ouster of Egyptian president Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak.  The protests spread into other Middle East and Northern Africa countries leading to some social and/or  political changes in Algeria,  Lebanon,  Jordon,  Sudan, Oman,  Saudi Arabia, Yemen,  Iraq,  Bahrain,  Kuwait,  Morocco, and Syria.  Libya's uprising began in February and ended yesterday with the death of Gaddafi.

But what happens next in these countries? The massacre in Egypt two weeks ago is evidence that just because the head has been chopped off does not mean the snake had died. In Egypt the military that was part of  Mubarak's government is still in place and still had much power.  Iraq has shown that just because a dictator has been overthrown does not mean the fight is over if other radical groups will kill to ensure they are the ones to fill the gap left by the destruction of the previous regime.

The Arab States are slowly moving from dictatorship (some disguised as  monarchies) toward democracy but, as  CNN's Tim Lister writes,  "If the Arab Spring were on a calendar, we would still be in the first week."