Oppressive Arab regimes on edge. Arab masses jubilant; proud of Tunisian uprising

Bye bye: game over for Ben Ali

The significance of the ousting of the Tunisian dictator President Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali cannot be underestimated. The popular uprising has given fresh life to the workers and youth and all democratic forces in the Arab world while spreading fear and uncertainty among the numerous oppressive regimes in the region. The decision by the Saudi monarchy to give the Tunisian president asylum, even as the French refused, has also stirred resentment in that country, an autocratic Islamist regime run like a family business. Saudi Arabia has very high youth unemployment.

Another important aspect to all of this is the Internet. For much of the Arab world, Saudi Arabia in particular, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are the only means of having discussion and debate as well as spreading information as public assembly is banned. Syria, Egypt, Libya, and Jordan, all these regimes are vulnerable. Demonstrations and protests have also been taking place in neighboring Morocco

“We are very upset because the uprising in Tunisia had a very symbolic meaning and we should not be associated with saving him,’’, the Financial Times quoted one Saudi Blogger as saying ``This is the first time in the Arab world that a dictator was uprooted by his people. Even if the government is trying to help, it just does not feel right.”

The mood on what is often referred to as the "Arab street "is jubilant. “When the autocratic president and his family were forced to leave, they celebrated, online, the success of the first “Arab street revolution’’ which proved that “Arabs have dignity and can revolt.”, the Times adds.

Another Saudi Blogger quoted in the Times wrote: “The revolution was possible in Tunisia because it is secular state, they do not have clerics ready to mesmerize people and preach obedience to the rulers.” The Mullahs in Iran, not an Arab country, will be watching things very closely we can be sure of that.

The massive amount of arms that the US sells to these undemocratic regimes whether officially secular states like Egypt or a theocracy like Saudi Arabia are to maintain a balance of power in the region that serves the interests of US capitalism but also for the purpose of protecting them from their own working class; the Arab masses are a potentially revolutionary force in the region and the political outcome of the uprising in Tunisia is worrying for US imperialism’s interests. It is difficult to tell what will develop in Tunisia. It was calmer today according to the media reports and the military is establishing some sense of security, but the head of the banned Islamic party is returning form exile apparently and its difficult to say exactly where things will end up. It’s even harder to judge when you’re not there on the ground.

This is a real mess for US capitalism. As we mentioned in an earlier blog, released Wikileaks information added fuel to the popular uprising and forced Hilary Clinton to attack undemocratic Arab regimes aggressively. We should consider that; information from Wikileaks influenced the tone and content of the public statements of a top US government official. Despite all the talk from the US about democracy, democratic regimes tend to want more control and say over their own economy and resources. The response to such a development in Iran in 1953 invited a successful CIA orchestrated coup and the installation by the US of the murderous dictator we all know as the Shah of Iran. And democratic elections produced Hamas in Gaza, the voters didn’t elect the government Washington wanted, in this case, the corrupt Palestinian Authority.

For workers throughout the world the driving out of Tunisia’s Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali is a positive development. It is especially so for the Arab masses as it will increase confidence that they can remove the weight of  dictatorships, many of them backed by western governments, that accumulate massive wealth as the majority of the population live in conditions of extreme poverty, unemployment and lack of basic democratic freedoms. .

We should also not forget Israel, the chief recipient of US arms and money. The Arab working classes lifting the boot of their neck will not bode well for the Zionist regime which is US imperialism’s most reliable ally in the Middle East.

The first decade of the 21st century has seen a historic crisis of capitalism that is far from over, hopefully it has only just begun. In the US, the attacks on living standards are savage and there is no way we will not see increased opposition developing here.

I was at a rally in San Francisco called in defense of Bradley Manning and Wikileaks yesterday, one of hundreds throughout the world. It was a small but spirited event but what was significant was the support from passers by. One transit driver gave prolonged blasts of the horn in support as people cheered. As a family of American tourists walked by I asked the mother if she knew who Bradley Manning was. She couldn’t recall for a second, then I explained it to her. She knew about him but the father turned to me in front of his teenage daughters and said, “I think he’s a hero.”.

I have learned over time that we can’t predict how things will develop, especially in this volatile period. Tunisia was considered a locked down regime controlled by a strongman. But beneath the surface the anger and tension was building. A similar situation exists in the US. We should not underestimate the level of anger that exists beneath the surface of US society that will be fueled by the growing assault on social services and the highly Unionized public sector. We have also had here in the last month or so, the largest prison strike in history; the prisons are vulnerable to revolt.

The Union leaders in the US refuse to organize a serious resistance to the attacks here, in actuality, they cooperate with them. And the news media is probably the most censored and controlled in the advanced capitalist countries. But it would be folly to assume that the US working class will continue to take this situation indefinitely. History teaches us otherwise.

I am eagerly awaiting the Wikileaks releases on the banks.