Egypt:
Hundreds of thousands gathered to celebrate the fall of Mobarak. The Egyptians are asking the military to dismantle the Mobarak apparatus, which still has a dominating presence among the power elite of the country. Military says wait until this can be done safely.
Yemen:
President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in power for 32 years. Time to go, say the demonstrators. A hand grenade was thrown into the protesting crowd; police and government property has been set on fire. Saleh says he won’t run for re-election and neither will his son. No dice, say the people.
Bahrain:
70% Shiite, 30% Sunni yet royalty is Sunni and the Shiites have little access to high government or military positions. Poverty among Shiites is high. Soldiers have opened fire on the protesters, but seem to be losing ground.
Jordan:
Protesters are demanding King Abdullah II become a constitutional monarch with the prime minister elected by the people. Parliament is already an elected body but the king has the authority to dismiss it. Inflation and unemployment are exacerbating the unrest.
Libya:
30% of the population is in poverty, despite oil income. Demonstrators demand Gahdafi’s resignation. Several have been killed. The protesters have damaged government and military structures. Ghadafi has been in power for forty years. He is scrambling to initiate reform and compromise with tribal leaders.
Saudi Arabia:
The Umma Islamic party says enough one family rule. They are asking for reform, particularly regarding absence of people’s political power and the status of women. Leaders have been arrested.
Algeria:
Hasn’t quite boiled over yet, but bubbles of protest have formed. Thirty thousand police and military and the shutting down of railways have so far held massive demonstrations in check. Last month there were food riots where three were killed. A full-blown uprising may have impact on French politics as 3-5 million of Maghreb descent living in France.
Morroco:
Bracing for tomorrow’s peaceful youth protest. They are demanding a constitutional monarchy like UK and Spain. Protesters (apparently a coalition of Left, Islam and nationalist Berbres) say they will stay peaceful as long as state does not use force. Pro-monarchy marches are also planned in support of the ruling government.
Tunisia:
Ben Ali was ousted, but sporadic protests still continue against the interim caretaker government. Power vacuum is strongly felt as mass migration to Italy and other parts of Europe has begun.
Djibouti:
Where? East Afrcia (From Yemen cross the Gulf of Aden, mostagheem, can’t miss it. It’s the tiny country with the 50% unemployment rate). Demonstrators want to oust President Ismail Omar Guelleh (pictured above). He changed the constitution last year so he could have more than two terms in office. Djibouti has the only US military base in Africa, some French military bases and at least one Persian carpet.
Iraqi Kordestan:
Student protesters throwing rocks and shouting, “Down with Massoud Barzani.” The protest follows state violence and arrests against previous protesters.
Iraq (Baghadad):
Protests asking for money for orphans and widows.
Iran:
Well, there are a lot of differences between Iran and every other country in the world that is different from other countries. For one thing…
