What is the Arab Spring?

The "Arab Spring" referred to by western media refers to the actions of people in some Arab countries who took to the streets to demand the overthrow of their autocratic regimes since riots broke out in some towns in Tunisia on February 20 10. Western media called it "peaceful resistance movement", and optimistically predicted that "a new Middle East is about to be born" as the prospect of this movement, and regarded this "Arab Spring" as.

On 2011March 18, armed men in Sana 'a, the capital of Yemen, opened fire on anti-government demonstrators. It is estimated that 45 people were killed and at least 300 injured. Event scale (4) 18, small-scale demonstrations took place in several cities in Syria, and the authorities tried to suppress them, resulting in at least three people being shot dead. /kloc-in the early morning of 0/7, Bahrain raided the residence of opposition leaders and arrested many opposition leaders and activists. From Sana 'a, the capital of Yemen, to Damascus, Syria, and then to Manama, the capital of Bahrain, in the past weekend, demonstrators from many countries in the Middle East were strongly responded by the government, causing a large number of casualties. This seems to show that the governments of these countries have given up their previous appeasement policy towards the opposition and adopted a tougher stance towards the increasingly tough opposition. The so-called "Arab Spring" movement seems to have suffered a serious setback. [ 1]

Edit the background of this paragraph.

1989, the Berlin Wall that divided Europe suddenly collapsed. In just a few months, the seemingly indestructible social system in Eastern Europe fell into chaos and anxiety. In just a few months, Europe has implemented financial and technical assistance projects, opened a trade dialogue, and promised the EU's eastward expansion, with the ultimate goal of allowing labor to flow freely in Europe. After 15, the EU's eastward expansion was realized. After another seven years, the immigration barriers in Europe were finally abolished. This has promoted the economic and political transformation of Eastern European countries. Can a similar story be repeated in the southern Mediterranean? This is the key economic issue of the Arab Spring. Obviously, the same story cannot happen, and the sub-Mediterranean countries will not join the EU. However, the two sides can strengthen economic ties and benefit from closer integration. The 500 million people in the European Union live next to the 654.38+700 million people in North Africa. These people, from west to east, from Agadir in Morocco to Port Said in Egypt, are all at the door of Europe, looking forward to prosperity and democracy. In Tunisia and Egypt, people have proved their determination to overthrow the current regime, and now they just want to concentrate on national rejuvenation. However, unless the situation improves, the motivation of transformation is likely to turn into disappointment, which contains many risks. The first problem is employment. Many young people who initiated revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt lost their jobs. According to official data, 30% of young people are unemployed, whether the data is accurate or not, but these economies have obviously failed to absorb the baby boom of the past few decades. The average annual economic growth rate of these countries-Egyptian, Libyan, Tunisia and Moroccan-is 5%-6%, which seems to be strong, but it still falls short of the average annual growth rate of 2.5% of their labor force. If more jobs are to be created, economic growth must be stronger. The macroeconomic situation is not the main obstacle. In the future, these countries must increase investment in infrastructure and provide better education, which will inevitably cost a lot of money. At the same time, international assistance is necessary to improve macroeconomic imbalances. However, these are not the most pressing problems. The biggest obstacle is the economic system. According to the World Bank, in Egypt, the cost of obtaining a building permit is three times the per capita annual income; In Algeria, the registration of property rights transactions needs to go through 1 1 different procedures; Among 183 countries, Morocco ranks 154. These are just a few examples. All the problems show that the economic development of these countries is restricted by bureaucracy and monopoly rent. This usually stems from political asylum or nepotism. In addition, the rigid credit market also restricts economic development. These obstacles make the development of enterprises difficult. It is obviously not feasible to introduce the solution used in eastern Europe based on the introduction of EU law into North Africa. However, the political revolution provided a rare opportunity for economic liberation. At present, those who demonstrate in the streets and disintegrate the rigid political system can contribute to the development of the country. The EU can establish an incentive mechanism for its reform and mobilize the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to provide support.

Edit this paragraph to hit the Middle East.

Yemen war situation

In June 5438+08, armed men opened fire on anti-government demonstrators in Sana 'a, the capital of Yemen. It is estimated that 45 people were killed and at least 300 injured. Yemeni President Saleh subsequently declared the country into a state of emergency. Friday's bloodshed is the most serious escalation of violence in the Yemeni capital since the demonstrators began to call for the end of Saleh's 32-year rule in June+10, 5438. The death toll on this day alone exceeded that of previous demonstrations in Yemen (estimated at 40). Gunshots rang out. You can see gunmen shooting at thousands of people from the roof, and black smoke poured in from the edge of the demonstration site. Witnesses said that the black smoke came from burning tires, and the smoke screen formed helped to cover up the gunman's position. A few hours after the incident, Saleh declared a state of emergency, restricting freedom of movement, assembly and the press. According to local media reports, according to the emergency law, the police are not under the jurisdiction of Yemen's criminal law when carrying out investigations and arrests. In the recent conflict in Sana 'a, security forces have been firing live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators. Witnesses said that no security forces were seen in Friday's shooting. They said that the man who shot at the crowd was wearing plain clothes. At the press conference announcing the state of emergency, Saleh expressed his sadness and blamed the violence on the demonstrators. He said that it was obvious that there were militants in these tents and they were the ones who shot. The United States issued a statement against its allies and recipient countries, strongly attacking the use of force, and it is rare for the attack to be straightforward. US President Barack Obama strongly condemned the violence in Yemen today and called on President Saleh to abide by his public promise and allow the demonstration to proceed peacefully. Brennan, a senior White House counterterrorism adviser, said on Friday that he planned to call Saleh. He said that the United States "strongly condemns" the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators. These statements are by far the strongest condemnation by the United States of the response measures to the unrest in Yemen, reflecting the growing discord between the United States and Saleh. Saleh is a partner of the United States in the fight against Al Qaeda in Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula.

The situation in Syria

According to activists and human rights organizations, after Friday's prayer ceremony, small-scale demonstrations took place in several cities in Syria, and the authorities tried to suppress them, resulting in at least three people being shot dead. The protests in the past three days are the first large-scale riots in Syria and the most serious challenge that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has faced since he took over from his father Hafiz al-Assad in 2000. In order to quell the growing unrest, the Syrian government recently stressed that it will carry out reforms this year. On Friday, protesters clashed with security forces in the southern city of Deraa, where the rally was the largest. Activists said there were hundreds of protesters, but this could not be confirmed. Other cities where protests took place included Bahners, a coastal port, Homs, north of the capital Damascus, Deir ez-Zor and Damascus in the east, and a small-scale rally was held at the Umayyad Mosque in the center of Damascus. An activist in Deraa said that the security forces fired live ammunition at the protesters. A video circulating on the Internet showed that the fire truck sprayed water on the crowd. An eyewitness told the media that the soldiers were airlifted by helicopter troops. A Facebook organization called "Dignity Day" launched a protest. An activist under the pseudonym Omron said that the protest was not planned in advance, but was initiated by many unrelated people. He has sources of information all over the country. Syrian state media said that "instigators" tried to destroy property, burn cars and buildings, and security forces intervened to protect Syrian citizens. In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Victor said that the United States strongly condemns the violence. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the news that someone was killed and urged the Syrian authorities not to use violence. Protests in Syria have been going on for several days. Activists called on President Bashar's government to release political prisoners and let people enjoy more freedom.

Situation in Bahrain

The government of Bahrain continues to try to suppress the recent uprising in that country. On Thursday morning, Bahrain raided the residence of opposition leaders and arrested many opposition leaders and activists. Bahrain is a strategically important Gulf island country. Halir, a senior member of al-Wefaq, Bahrain's largest opposition organization, said that the arrested persons included Mushama, the leader of the hardline Haq movement, and Ahlsien Gasai, a senior member of the Haq movement. Musharraf, who went into exile last month, was granted an amnesty by the government and returned from London. Huck leaders have been calling for the overthrow of Bahrain's royal family. Khalil said that the situation is getting worse and worse, and everyone is worried about their safety. Bahrain also demolished a 300-foot monument and turned it into a demonstration center. On Wednesday, thousands of protesters occupied a large area of the financial district of Manama, the capital. The protesters were mainly Shiites, and the security forces supported by the army drove the protesters out of the city center to suppress the growing protest movement. King Al Khalifa of Bahrain declared a three-month state of emergency and imposed a curfew 12 hours in some parts of the capital. Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia's 1000 soldiers and 500 policemen from the United Arab Emirates arrived in Bahrain, and the tension increased. Earlier, the United States warned that this move would lead to the deterioration of the situation. The presence of the military has intensified the fear of religious conflicts, which has also led people to worry more about possible Iranian intervention. Iran is the main rival for regional influence with Saudi Arabia. Khalil said that other opposition figures arrested on Thursday included Shiite activist Hussein, who and 307 other prisoners were pardoned by the government last month to ease protesters' demands, and Sharif, the leader of the moderate Sunni organization National League for Democratic Action. According to local media reports, 65,438+02 senior judges appointed by Bahrain's parliament and seven members of the Shura Committee have resigned to protest the escalation of violence in Bahrain. Statements issued by six main opposition parties and non-religious groups in Bahrain confirmed these reports. In view of the measures taken by the Bahrain government, the attitude of the United States has changed dramatically. Earlier, it was said that it was understandable for the king of Bahrain to ask for foreign aid. On June 16, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that sending troops to Bahrain by Persian Gulf countries is not the solution. "We hope that the Bahraini government will exercise restraint and fulfill its humanitarian responsibilities", but she did not condemn the repression. Obama also called the kings of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to express his deep concern and stressed the importance of political reform. Standard & Poor's Company (S&; P) Bahrain was demoted by two levels in June, 5438+08, on the grounds that the Persian Gulf country has been unable to quell street struggles for more than a month, and the political turmoil is heating up day by day. Standard & Poor's downgraded Bahrain's long-term foreign currency debt credit rating by two levels, from A- to B, which is the second lowest rating among investment grades; The short-term credit rating of the local currency has also dropped to A-3, and both of them remain negative, indicating that it may be lowered again in the future. Fitch, another credit rating company, downgraded Bahrain's credit rating to the same level as Standard & Poor's on June 5438+05. "Growing political turmoil is continuing to hurt Bahrain's economic model," said Norn, an analyst at Standard & Poor's. Although the Bahrain government tried to restore order by asking the troops of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to enter the country, it angered the Shiites in the country and triggered a strong attack from Iran. " Standard & Poor's pointed out that Bahrain's declaration of martial law may cause social polarization and fail to stabilize the "criticized political situation", and this turmoil may also damage Bahrain's status as a financial center and tourist destination.