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The burgeoning democratic movement in Lebanon and the push to oust Syrian forces has launched — predictably — a wave of indigenous blogs to cover the so-called “Gucci Revolution.” Over at Beirut Spring, Mustapha rails against Arab rulers while striking an internationalist posture:
“We, the Lebanese, like the Iraqis and Kuwaitis before us, are increasingly disillusioned with ‘Arabic’ solutions to our ‘problems.’ What have Arab Regimes done to endless Iraqis who have suffered under Saddam? Why have they ignored the Kuwaiti people’s plight under Iraqi occupation? … Call me a Neocon if you want, but let’s for once admit it, Arabism is just a means for prosperity and people empowerment, not an end in itself! And as far as I’m concerned, I think Jacques Chirac speaks much more for me and for my values than Bashar al Assad ever will …”
Raja Abu Hassan at Lebanonmatters takes an equally jaundiced view of traditional Arab leadership, writing, “I almost feel like we are being pulled back by those who are scared they will be left behind in a new order; a new country. Why can’t we lead? Why can’t the educated, middle and professional classes lead the country? Why do we have to be led, or held back, by brutes who appeal to the basest instincts of the population?
“Maybe we need a new political class. But then again, that’s like wishing for pigs to fly. I’m starting to wonder how much will change in the coming months. Doubt is replacing hope; and all I can do is sit and watch …”
Finally, thinkofthat, another Beirut-based blog, takes a less pessimistic slant, photoblogging the protests themselves. Taking a peek at the pics of what has been dubbed the “Gucci Revolution” and the “Cedar Revolution” — due the fashion-consciousness of the protesters and the prevalence of Lebanese flags (featuring a cedar tree) at rallies — it becomes pretty clear that either nickname works equally well.
As John Quiggin at Crooked Timber notes, despite the talk of “freedom on the march” in the Middle East, repression is still rampant — and some bloggers in countries such as Iran and Bahrain are either under threat of imprisonment or have already been arrested. As such, a group of concerned citizens and journalists have set up the Committee to Protect Bloggers. The site tracks the arrests and threats being leveled against bloggers working under repressive regimes, while sending out a call for speakers of Arabic and Farsi so they can set up CPB sites in those languages.
–Paul McLeary
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