Guys,
i was sitting in the airport this morning waiting for my flight to Edinburgh, and i saw the latest developments in Libya.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/20/libya-defiant-protesters-feared-dead
Perhaps the most important part of this, but also the most under reported is the unrest in Oman and Kuwait. Kuwait is a barely functioning democracy, but in terms of Arab politics it is the model i'm sure countries like Egypt would've been looking to follow. The Crown Prince is the Prime Minister and the parliament is elected included women MPs- The sort of reform other rioting countries would embrace, however something is "rotten in the state of Denmark". The PM being a member of the Royal family can not be held to account in parliament, as excessive questioning is seen as disrespectful (some good articles on this @ Gulfnews and @ The National- both UAE papers i keep abreast of). So despite it ticking all the reform boxes the public wants more.
So with the UK and International media claiming this is a wave of protest, it is important to understand the context- there are different levels of autocratic leadership, including the monarchic structures in the Oil producing gulf states (technically constitutional monarchies).
So trouble in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the Yemen. That leaves only the UAE, Saudi and Qatar as currently unaffected on the Arabian Peninsula. All bets are off, don't get me wrong i wouldn't mind seeing the end of some of the vile practices that occur under the house of saud, but Qatar and the UAE? a genuinely horrible thought that could send back the region 10 years, to instability and squabbling .
Thoughts?
i was sitting in the airport this morning waiting for my flight to Edinburgh, and i saw the latest developments in Libya.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/20/libya-defiant-protesters-feared-dead
Perhaps the most important part of this, but also the most under reported is the unrest in Oman and Kuwait. Kuwait is a barely functioning democracy, but in terms of Arab politics it is the model i'm sure countries like Egypt would've been looking to follow. The Crown Prince is the Prime Minister and the parliament is elected included women MPs- The sort of reform other rioting countries would embrace, however something is "rotten in the state of Denmark". The PM being a member of the Royal family can not be held to account in parliament, as excessive questioning is seen as disrespectful (some good articles on this @ Gulfnews and @ The National- both UAE papers i keep abreast of). So despite it ticking all the reform boxes the public wants more.
So with the UK and International media claiming this is a wave of protest, it is important to understand the context- there are different levels of autocratic leadership, including the monarchic structures in the Oil producing gulf states (technically constitutional monarchies).
So trouble in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the Yemen. That leaves only the UAE, Saudi and Qatar as currently unaffected on the Arabian Peninsula. All bets are off, don't get me wrong i wouldn't mind seeing the end of some of the vile practices that occur under the house of saud, but Qatar and the UAE? a genuinely horrible thought that could send back the region 10 years, to instability and squabbling .
Thoughts?
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