Arab Spring Unveils New Nations

Modern maps lie.

Today, there are far more functional countries in the world than any map will list.  These unrecognized countries are nation-states.  This designation means they are identified by their a unified culture which is separate politically and socially from their official government.   The Arab Spring has blown the lid off many of the worst autocracies, from the deserts of the Sahara to the Balkans peninsula.  Corrupt central governments are receding before small nation-state across the Third World.  In the twenty-first century stability in the Middle East and rapidly developing countries  will be marked by the emergence of small, regional nation-states whose legitimization comes from their ties to the local cultures.

Since 2004 there have been two countries in Yemen.  There is the recognized militaristic government under President Saleh, the target of international outrage as massing Arab Spring protesters demand his resignation and that of his heavy-handed parliament.  UN  observers have taken advantage of this strife to visit off-limits regions of the country.  They have discovered a new nation.

In the north of Yemen  the separatist Houthis have established a large territory, encompassing cities, which they operated independently from the recognized government.  Their struggle for independence is largely hidden by the oppressive Saleh regime, who bombarded and assaulted northern towns indiscriminately.  We learn from Yemen that there can be operating, unrecognized governments in destabilized nations.  Some have already emerged.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan on July 9, 2011 to the applause and amazement of the world.  Before their split from Sudan the South Sudanese were largely unrepresented in their ex-government’s corrupt and violent regime, which has killed hundreds of thousands in the Darfur Genocide.  A separatist movement in South Sudan was able to win support for a new nation because natives wanted a government from their people for their people.

There is still unrest in South Sudan; however, they have even gained a foothold as an established nation.  Money is beginning to flow into South Sudan.  For example, the country recently won a $2.14 billion dollar oil export deal.  Meanwhile, South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has met with President Obama and begun to build tentative relations with the United States.  South Sudan is here to stay.  The African Union, one of the most notable inter-country organization in Africa, has admitted South Sudan as a full-fledged member.  The future looks bright for South Sudan.  We learn from Southern Sudan that unrecognized nations can emerge members of the international community.  Other nation-states, still unrecognized, still have international impact.

Palestine is a new state-nation, despite what Israeli claims.  It is one of the most renown largely, yet unrecognized, new nation-states in the world.  For years they have lived under a trade embargo from Israel because of the Palestinian’s Hamas government, who seeks to wipe Israel from the map.  However, with the winds of the Arab Spring change has come to the Gaza Strip.  With Mubarak’s resignation in Egypt and the erosion of the Israel-Egyptian alliance the western border of Palestine has been opened.  This derivative of the Arab Spring has allowed critical resources and new ideas to sweep through the Hamas government.  It was suspected this would cause an explosion of  terrorist activity into Israel and snowballing border war

This is not the case.

Instead, Hamas is calling for a mitigation of violence.  They are even willing to consent to the 1967 borders between Israel and Palestine.  In the aftermath of the Arab Spring these radicals are willing to yield where they once vowed they would not.  I believe the Arab Spring is influencing these separatist leaders to make rational moves and take what they can get.  If Israel can also agree to this deal they might be able to bring peace to a region that has been swamped in conflict for more than half a century through recognizing two separate states of Palestine and Israel.  In the past they attempted several varieties of hegemony over the radically different Jews and Muslims with no success. Nation-states are the solution to end territorial conflicts because the end the predicament with a definitive border line.  This solution is not limited to the Middle East.

In Europe, Kosovo has emerged as a semi-recognized nation-state within the borders of Serbia.  Between Mali and Algeria Al-Qaeda Islamic Maghred  is establish local support for a new territory of power.  Despite each nation-state being radically different all of these, from across the world, share common traits.  Each is recognized by its own unique cultures.  In addition, these new countries have the ability to be self-sufficient because of the emotional investment the leaders have in their homeland.  Finally, nation-states can emerge anywhere in the world where there is an unrepresented, by motivated, minority with a unified culture.

The Age of World Wars, which has lasted since the French-Indian War until the fall of the Berlin Wall, is over.  We are entering the Separatist Wars, between emerging nation-states and their oppressive governments.

Nation-states will fight for new countries because that will be the only way they can secure their own futures.  Rather than sweeping conflicts across conflicts the twenty-first century will be marked by numerous heated conflicts.  Once the dust settles many cultural enclaves will emerge as state-nations.

The world will be off with nation-states governments will curtail of corruption and increase representation of otherwise ignored populations because of their cultural investments.  This is my prediction, interpret it as you wish.

Athens and America: A Study of the Paralleled Rise and Fall of Empires

History Repeats Itself

The global empire of the United States bears staggering similarities to that of the ancient Athenian empire; both rose through an influx in foreign wealth, fought long and costly wars, and lost their supremacy due to singular, devastating defeats.

Athens’s rise and fall was intertwined with the grand conflict of the Peloponnesian War.  Before the war, Athens dominated Greece.  Tribute, paid through monetary and naval capital by Delian League, was arbitrarily used by Athens for its own betterment.  Under Pericles, Athenians built great public works, such as the Parthenon, with foreign money.

Later, the tectonic Peloponnesian War erupted between Athens and Sparta.  Neither could defeat the other, so the conflict evolved into a regional, strategic struggle.  Foreign campaigns, like in Sicily, eroded the strength of the Athenians.  Athens was too heavily invested in these foreign conflicts.

Athens risked too much and the Peloponnesian League, Sparta and her network of Allies, punished them for it.  The tipping point for the Athenian Empire was at Syracuse.  Athenian generals procrastinated at the beginning of the conflict; this delay resulted in the unsuccessful siege of the city rather than a victorious strike.  Spartan reinforcements had enough time to reinforce Syracuse and beat back the Athenians.  Countless ships of Athens were lost in the harbor of Syracuse.  Athenian morale was splintered with their strength broken.  The downward spiral of Athens lasted eight painful years before they surrendered to Sparta.

America is on the downhill slide of the Athenian curve as she circles her own defeat.  Historians would place the high point of the American empire at the close of World War Two.  At this point, many nations adored the victorious liberators.  Wealth flowed into America in exchange for manufactured products.  Destruction of international economic competitions, with the bombings of Europe and the wars of East Asia, enabled this modern reincarnation of Athenian tribute.  Buoyed by foreign wealth, politicians constructed highways, funded Social Security, and created Medicare.  Meanwhile, the Cold War flickered into forest fire.

Forces mobilized against the United States; America’s Cold War would mirror Athens’s Peloponnesian War. Many nations sided with the USSR, and later China, in a manifold communist threat against the United States.  Communist converts were afraid of being poached by America’s predatory foreign policy; the CIA coup of democracy in Iran, GI’s fought the rightful rule of Vietnam, and paratroopers invaded Grenada.  This only empowered America’s enemies.

American capitalism and USSR’s communism fought long and hard, sapping global capital. China besieged the United States in Korea, freedom fighters in Afghanistan killed millions of Russians, and the Middle East burned as Israel, Egypt, and Syria warred.  Ideological conflicts continue to this day in various modern forms.  By 2011 America had overextended herself.  Tens of thousands of troops were stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq, NATO jets controlled the airspace of Libya, and drone strikes assassinated opposition figures in Yemen.

Here the American model caught up to the Athenian timeline.  The next chronological event was a major defeat of the American Empire at the hand of the Chinese.  Despite having the best universities, arguably the most innovative populace, and the most capital the American economy was overtaken by the oppressive, environmentally destructive, and antagonistic Chinese economy. The Americans would be surpassed by 2020; China was declared the Sparta of the modern age.  As early as 2011 the Chinese were flexing their strength, the flow of resources, such as rare metals, was halted to the United States.  It would not be long until other essential elements of the globalized economy simply went missing.  America’s empire unraveled, just as its star-crossed ancestor Athens did before it.

What is “Occupy Wall Street?” : The American Variant of the Arab Spring & The Origin of the Second American Revolution

Occupy Wall Street Protesters Arrested For Campaigning For Basic Human Rights

It should be noted that the Arab Spring flared in America on September 24, 2011 and has since burned brightly, lighting downtown New York City while singeing Chicago, Denver, and Los Angles.  This global revolution has taken the form Occupy Wall Street here in America.  They campaign for ethical reforms for majority of the population, which are needed to combat the unconstitutional and immoral actions of the richest 1% of the population.   In the words of Michael Moore, “Something has Started.” This is the beginning of the Second American Revolution.

What are the Occupy Wall Street Protestors Moving to Accomplish?

They want to enact economic and judicial reforms on a national scale.

They are campaigning against a broad range of failings that have hurt the American public.  Several important issues are combating corporate greed, unshackling union’s collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin, and overturning Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a Supreme Court Decision that gave corporations the right to invest unlimited funds in political campaigns.  Many demonstrators believe the financial sector, embodied by the Wall Street Stock exchange, to be at the heart of these problems.  This is why ground zero for Occupy Wall Street is in New York City; they really just want their voices to be heard in the increasingly polarized and glaringly corporate political battleground.

Will They Be Successful?

Yes.

Their protest is the American manifestation of the Arab Spring, which has uniformly been unstoppable.  The trend with this sociopolitical titan has been that nations either meet the demands of the populace or inevitably fall to rebellion.  These protests will be historically noted as the beginning of either one or the other in America.

The Arab Spring has already been felt around the world, from the revolting Arab nations successfully completing revolutions, British looting of London, and Greek riots spreading anarchy.  Everywhere people are revolting against the same issues, only the names and places are different.  It is likely historians will it call the Jasmine Revolution, after its original name with the fiery startup in Tunisia.

These initial protests may not be successful, perhaps doing little more than slowing a few investors commute.  What is significant is that Americans are mobilizing not against any specific issue, but instead against the decaying economic order.  They are protesting the schism between the astounding wealthy and the numerous poor.  This is similar to other “Jasmine Revolutions.”

How Does Occupy Wall Street Resemble the Arab Spring?

Occupy Wall Street, which can be identified as a public organization for economic reform, bears striking similarities to the origins of most Arab Spring revolutions.

The Tunisians, the first pioneer of the Arab Spring, say their revolution was sparked by “unbalanced economic growth” as well.  Egyptians revolted due to, “rising food prices, high unemployment, and the corruption that pervades economic life in the region.”  Yemen is on the verge of a regime change, because of a widely corrupt government and major “economic grievances.”  With the exception of the corruption, all of these concerns are prevalent in every region of the United States.  The maldistribuiton of wealth and resources in America parallels those of the revolting Arab States; it was only a matter of time before distraught and jobless citizens took action.

Why Has There Been Police Brutality?

I would like to make note that while there have been a few occasions, including one incident involving dangerous use of pepper spray and others where police aggressively arrested unruly protesters, on the whole Occupy Wall Street has not suffered from unexpected amounts of police brutality.  This is a large-scale, well covered protest; incidents of this nature happen during such demonstrations.   It could be much worse and much more violent.  These cases of controversial police aggression are regrettable results from the patriotic activism of the protesters going beyond conventional terms of engagement.  These protesters knew the risks when they decided to stand up for what they believed in.  The policemen are simply doing their jobs; I would not judge them too critically lest they desert our popular cause entirely.  Everybody knows they did wrong, all we can hope is that incidents do not persist.

The Revolutionary (Cell) Service: Katrin Verclas Invents Phone Application To Protect Leaders of the Arab Spring

Do encrypted and safe phones mean the Arab Spring uprisings are In the Clear?

The American Government is funding cell phones designed to guard grassroots rebellions; don’t worry; these measures are not counter intuitive.  This technology was designed to empower the rightful leaders in oppressed countries to coordinate victorious revolutions.  Grants from the State Department have now launched this cell phone application called In the Clear.

This initiative gives the people’s leaders quick disposable communication that could be electronically wiped at the flick of a switch.  This function protects everything that would be endangered if the phone fell into enemy hands;  list of critical contacts, locations of weapon caches, and planned actions. In addition rudimentary encryption provides a powerful shield against cyber warfare and government snoops.

Previously, caught rebels were forced to swallow their SIM cards to protect their friends, now they can save freedom without the toxic indigestion.  These phones are already in use in Arab Spring battlegrounds.

Why Are Cell Phones Critical to Revolutions?

The keystone to the fall of Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya has been one innovation: instant communication.  Cell phones and social media networks have allowed public rebellions to ignite, flourish, and defeat oppression.

Uncensored slaying videos circulating over YouTube, massive coordinated protests through Facebook, and revolutionaries are mobilizing protesters, and militias, through cell phones.  Without being able to quickly react and take advantage of opportunities not only would have these righteous revolutions lagged, they might have even been crushed.  The Libyan rebels have been using cell phones since the beginning of their rebellion to battle Gaddafi.  In the coming revolutions in Syria and Yemen the handheld technology will continue to play a crucial role in mitigating bloodshed in the transfers of power.

Who Innovated These Phones?

The mastermind behind In The Clear is Katrin Verclas.  She runs an inventive activist group called MotiveActive, whose primary goals surround easier access to instant communication and knowledge proliferation.  The technology behind In the Clear was funded by grants from the State Department in association with a rapidly expanding Internet Freedom and accessibility.

Internet access is a basic human right, according to the United Nations; these cell phones are a crucial step in defending this right in unstable nations. Verclas’s phone application will play a major role in empowering the people where they need it most.

Perhaps they will be used domestically in the future, hopefully not in violent forums.