Has the domino effect started ? Earlier this month, Tunisians, in what is termed as jasmine revolution, threw out their long-time (23 long years) President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his corrupt family, who fled to that bastion of democracy, Saudi Arabia (which also gave 'asylum' to that brutal dictator Idi Amin). And the Tunisians aren't accepting the old-wine-in-the-new bottle government led by their earlier prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi.
This week we saw mass protests in Egypt by the people against yet another "veteran" president, Hosni Mubarak, which was brutally put down with typical strong arm tactics of that man. He has banned all and any public assembly claiming national security. There are also reports that his son and heir apparent, Gamal Mubarak, has fled to London with his family.
And now comes the news about Yemen.
BBC
Thousands of Yemenis are demonstrating in the capital Sanaa, calling on Ali Abdullah Saleh, president for more than 30 years, to step down.
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Yemeni opposition members and youth activists gathered in four parts of the city, including Sanaa University, chanting anti-government slogans.
They also called for economic reforms and an end to corruption.
Yemenis complain of mounting poverty among a growing young population and frustration with a lack of political freedoms.
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President Saleh, a Western ally, became leader of North Yemen in 1978, and has ruled the Republic of Yemen since the north and south merged in 1990. He was last re-elected in 2006.
Yemenis are angry over parliament's attempts to loosen the rules on presidential term limits, sparking opposition concerns that Mr Saleh might try to appoint himself president for life.
So, yet another "western ally" now comes under pressure.
Earlier this week, Martin Chulov of Guardian, UK, wrote
Angry demonstrations in Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon today cast a spotlight on grievances throughout the Arab world that are often aired but rarely dealt with. For the first time in generations, dissidence is gathering momentum and many leaders seem rattled.
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Across the region, regimes are in the unusual position of having to prove their worth to people they have ruled over almost unchecked for decades.
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All of today's protests – both on the streets and in cyberspace – share a broad common theme: that people in this part of the world have been denied a democratic voice for too long. They also share a realisation that nepotism in government, scelrosis of institutions and lack of accountability need not be a given.
These are momentous times in those parts of ME. Where and with whom are the so-called western democracies going to stand in the coming months ? Will they play the muslim-extremists-al-qaeda cards again ?
Update 1: Guardian reporter beaten up in Cairo by notorious state security service.
Update 2: ElBaradei says Egypt must change and he is ready to lead the transition if asked.