Beirut, March 17: The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia qualify as a “world historical moment” but the most difficult tasks are yet to come, according to Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said professor of Arab studies at Columbia University.
In a lecture held at the American University of Beirut Wednesday, Khalidi said that although the popular uprisings of 2011 have opened up new horizons and possibilities in the Arab world, “nothing has been finally changed.”
According to Khalidi, the younger generation of Arabs has unleashed their energy and intelligence to change what once seemed unchangeable, and they are, for the first time, being portrayed in a favorable light by Western media, as young people demonstrating peacefully for freedom, social justice, and the rule of law.
Khalidi warned that even though it was supremely difficult to bring down an oppressive regime, it will be more difficult to establish a working democratic system, especially one that is not ruled by “entrenched and powerful interests.”
Khalidi said any new regime in Tunisia and Egypt will face difficulties in attaining social justice and economic growth, especially as the two countries suffer from unemployment, proper housing, and huge infrastructure problems.
He cautioned that if the new regimes fail to deal with these issues and provide people with better living conditions, there will be a chance for a comeback by the Arab state system, in the form of embattled ruling regimes in countries such as Libya and Bahrain, which are supported by powerful interests inside and outside the Arab world.
He also discussed why the 2011 revolutions constitute an “unprecedented revolutionary upsurge,” even though there have been similar uprisings in Arab history.
He commented on the importance of the new batch of uprisings focusing on the difference between the recent revolutions and their predecessors, not to the fact that the 2011 revolutions have been directed inward and have addressed the problems of Arab governments and societies, while previously they were focused on liberation from colonial powers.
Another difference, according to Khalidi, is that the recent revolutions have been non-hierarchal in nature, lacking charismatic leaders.
Khalidi asserted that it remains to be seen whether the new regimes in Tunisia and Egypt will be able to effect real change, but expressed optimism since both countries have considerable assets to draw on, citing Egypt’s judiciary system as one of these positive elements.
As for whether the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt will spread to other Arab countries, Khalidi stated that even though there is a new contagious spirit in the Arab world, each oppressive regime in the Arab world exhibits special characteristics, while regimes in power will not give up the fight so easily. “Each country has to make its own revolution, and face its own difficulties,” Khalidi said.
As for the revolutions’ impact on the relationship between the Arab world and the United States, Khalidi said that even though things will not change overnight, “no one in Washington can rely on the complaisance and submissiveness toward Israel and the United States,” since Arab public opinion now matters.
Asked about the revolution in Libya, Khalidi predicted the eventual downfall of Moammar Gadhafi, but said he might succeed in the short-run because of the unwillingness of foreign powers to interfere.
Khalidi expressed concerns about a lack of intervention by countries outside the region, particularly the United States, since “there are enormous dangers to Western external intervention, as it brings unforeseen problems.”
———Agencies