Looking back a couple of decades ago the Middle East used to be a region that was represented by a singular ruling aspect. The Islamic dynasty or kalifate as they are called in Arabic is the king that rules with justice in God’s name. Taking that into perspective the historic circumstances of the region countries are highly correlated with one another due to the region being socio-politically connected.
After the European imperialism of the region the separation of regions within the Middle East to create individually controlled countries, a new reality to a once united region. Due to this historic correspondence these micro economies that were created became highly dependent of one another and that was why the Arab Spring very well represented by the domino effect. In reference to the book Diaries of an Unfinished Revolution, Voices from Tunis to Damascus depicts an image of how each fall of a regime promoted the rebellions of other against another ruthless policy. Unlike other commentaries with regard to the Arab Spring which often times offer uninformed, misinformed or biased accounts to the uprising, often without considerations of the historical and geopolitical landscape of the region, the Diaries of an Unfinished Revolution, Voices from Tunis to Damascus offers a clearer understanding on the conflict.
The title of the book portrays this idea of the Middle East being connected on a Macro level. Tunisia was the 1st country to go through with the revolt against a corrupt regime and what triggered it was Mohamed Bouazizi setting himself on fire. This protest shook the region and brought many of these corrupt regimes to jeopardize their ruling streak.
However, the overall feeling of subjugation was cross cutting across the entire Middle East region and according to Cassel (143) the time for reforms and change had finally come for the region. The hopeless situation across these regions is captured in successive chapters in the book Diaries of an Unfinished Revolution, Voices from Tunis to Damascus, and it is evident that the frustration, fear and the hurt of the general populace is mutual across the entire region that witnessed the Arab Spring. Furthermore, given that the book offers first-hand account of the participants of the Arab Spring, personal sentiments are seen from the various regions and they reflect a large phenomenon of suppression that fuelled the uprising. In Algeria for instance, one protestor ripostes that “we demand to breathe” (98) and in Tunisia, a young man reports on how he responded when a young man took his life due to the conditions in the country. In his account, the young Tunisian reports that “it was the drop that made the cup run over” (153). Consequentially, in as much as the events of the Arab Spring were separate, the mutualistic nature of the aftermath epitomizes the interconnection of the several affected regions due to historical circumstances. According to Cassel (196) for instance, the authors opine that successive generations across the entire affected Middle Eastern countries have endeavored to keep the spark of life alive against despondent circumstances often in unimaginable bravery. Such sentiments offers insights into the resonating cries of “we shall not make excuses for living” from Tunis to Damascus , and more pronounced in Algeria, in reference to the squalid living conditions for the masses amidst political suppression against any perceived form of opposition to the ruling class.
Conclusively, from the documented sentiments and witness accounts, it is evident that the uprising witnessed a dual fold domino and ripple effect fuelled from both historical and individual events.
Work cited
Cassel, Matthew, Layla Al-Zubaidi, and Nemonie Craven Roderick, eds. Writing revolution: the voices from Tunis to Damascus. Ib tauris, 2013.
