After the decade just past, many people in Western countries could perhaps be understood for harbouring a subliminal unease at Islamic nations, organisations and even people. This, if we are honest has not been the occupation merely of the BNP or English Defence League. Islam, in its cartoon-villain portrayal has been 'the bad guy' for ten years or more with little real differentiation between its various strands.
But now we have the opportunity to see much of the Islamic world at its ideological best. What strikes me most about this is the overwhelming bravery, a cousin perhaps of the same conviction however misguided that has made fundamentalist Islam such a dangerous enemy. Any way you regard it, these are people who are willing to die for what they believe in. Now it seems that the peoples of Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya and even Iran are turning this most powerful of weapons upon their long entrenched, long unquestioned masters.
It seems that we can respond to this sweeping wave of democratic expression in a number of ways. There is noticeable unease at the 'Real Politic' of the situation. Dictators however awful have provided a stability of sorts and also perpetuated a laziness in our commercially orientated diplomacy. Far easier to understand the whims of one overlord, however eccentric than embrace the messy, complicated, mannered chaos of a democratic government, particularly in its messy foetal stages.
Britain and the US, outward cheerleaders for democracy have been chastened in this expression by the long heralded elections in Gaza which brought Hamas to power. It seems there is no position of response for those who express their championed democratic rights by voting for people we don't like. So Obama and friends sit uncomfortably on the fence, waiting and hoping for the settling of the dust in such a way that their own interests in the region are not compromised. This is not a heartless response. Pragmatism keeps the lights on and means that there is petrol at the pumps.
However, as the Libyan uprising encounters the most cold-blooded regime response yet, the time may be coming when the outside world will have to choose whether to act in support, daring that such an action would be received well by the people and not in the oft painted way of their dictators who claim a sinister Western influence and seek to unite their people behind a xenophobic patriotism. A risk yes, but less so at a time when people are no longer slavishly buying the pantomime posturing of their jilted masters.
As people who generally do not hold our leaders to such account, the answer for now may be to embrace this action ourselves through the same social media as have given oxygen to the popular movements and helped turn whispered discontent into real revolutions. In any case, these new democracies are going to need support and reintegration into the international political and economic communities and we as a people, if not as a nation do not want to be seen as having perpetuated the regimes that are now close to collapse.
In short, just like in the changing countries on our news channels, what we do now as a people and as a country is vitally important. Can we find some of the same great motivation which for us requires no more bravery than to turn on our computers and email our friends and MPs?
Or will our brothers and sisters in the East who have been democratic for all of a week once again put us to shame?
http://www.nickbain.co.uk/
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