Why is it that Arabic countries like Egypt and Syria have governments that oppress their people rather than raise them up? In the “Revolution of Change in Egypt” the blogger asks this question. To me it’s simple really. It goes hand in hand with why these dictators are so afraid of the new media, and the old for that matter. They have become accustomed to controlling the message that gets to the masses for years.
Through the radio/tv saturation of a single government viewpoint they were able to blame their failings on purely outside forces. One’s that mostly came in the forms of Israel or the United States. While there is plenty of reason for the Arabic people to have distrust of the West and its unbending support for Israel, it cannot be blamed for everything. Its quite easy for these rulers to stir up anger by showing the brutality that the Palestinians face by bored Israeli guards all day. They can blame the Unites States constantly when oil embargoes happen. Meanwhile the corruption at the top continues as the people turn away shaking their heads to the piped tune of the government’s monolog.
The dictators keep their people down with pointed purpose, and have planned to for generations to come. How? Through learning institutions for one. If someone is uneducated, or feed falsehoods, they will undoubtedly be less questioning to the powers that be. The governments also have stake in practically all monetary endeavors in their respective countries. The capital and power that gives to these rulers is incredibly hard to let go of. In order to raise your people up they need to have access to private enterprise and avenues of personal wealth that accompany that. That would mean sharing the power they have accumulated over the decades for themselves, and that’s not happening without a fight.
New media has left these dictators with no way to combat the truth. With the people’s education of policy, both foreign and domestic, it has lead them to demand accountability from their governments. The people understand more, and are demanding more for themselves and the voices that will unlock their future.