Throughout the Middle East there’s an unlikely trend happening before our very eyes. From Beirut, to Baghdad, to all across Iran, the people of the Middle East are pushing back against the state. Fighting for the very freedoms that we take for granted in the West. These people want to be treated as sovereign citizens, demanding freedom and rights that they deserve. The people want to be ruled by a well run government, not like the current ruling class which consists of corrupt militias and thugs.
For years the Sunni and Shiite party leaders have cemented their power on the people by enforcing their sectarian and tribal laws upon them. Fixing who gets what job and how these people must act if they want to live a trouble free life. Countries such as Iran and Iraq have attempted to shut down communication by their people. The less information the people have, the less able they are to co align to fight for their freedoms.
The protests will probably be unsuccessful due to Iran’s all controlling power grip over the Middle East. Iran continually arrest and kill Democratic demonstrators in order to maintain their influence over not only Iran, but Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Iran has used tactics ranging from utilizing militia’s and Mobilization Forces to even shutting down their own public internet in 2002 to quell public uprising in the Middle East.
However the Middle East is facing a multitude of problems which may make freedom going forward more likely for their people. Global climate change is affecting the Middle East in particular, with rising temperatures drying up water supplies and stunting food production. Protests in Lebanon were recently sparked in response to government inability to contain widespread wildfires due to those rising temperatures. As I mentioned in my last article, the Middle East and Iran in particular are facing an economic crisis as US sanctions hinder their main revenue source, oil exports. All of these factors make it an interesting scenario as to whether or not the Middle East can get its act together, only time will tell.
Source:
https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/how-iran-is-crushing-freedom-in-middle-east-1.68245713