Politics of contemporary Middle East & North African Essay

Politics of contemporary Middle East & North African - Essay Example A historical perspective The history of Egypt was changed after the Arab conquest of 641. The military commander Amr ibn al As initiated the processes of the Islamization and Arabization. From the ninth century Egypt was ruled by strong autonomous dynasties and the destiny of the country was in the hands of hereditary dynasties (History of Egypt). Adelson stated: The Middle East, if I may adopt a term which I have not seen, will some day need its Malta, as well as its Gibraltar; it does not follow that either will be in the Persian Gulf. Naval force has the quality of mobility which carries with it the privilege of temporary absences; but it needs to find on every scene of operation established bases of refit, of supply, and in case of disaster, of security. The British Navy should have the facility to concentrate in force if occasion arise, about Aden, India, and the Persian Gulf (Adelson, 1995). North Africa underwent substantial changes in the 5th century. Tunisia was invaded by E uropean tribes. Starting from 7th to 15th centuries Tunisian population experienced numerous migrations and Jews and Hispanics Muslims entered this country. Tunisia as Arab cultural center was known as the Turkish Ottoman Empire until it was protected by France in 1881. Starting from 1956 this country gained independence, but there is still a close connection with France on political, economic and cultural levels (History of Tunisia).   According to John Foster Dulles,  the Middle East is "the area lying between and including  Libya  on the west and  Pakistan  on the east,  Syria  and  Iraq  on the North and the Arabian peninsula to the south, plus the  Sudan  and  Ethiopia" (Davison, 1960). Sir Ignatius stated that  Middle East  means "those regions of Asia which extend to the borders of  India  or command the approaches to India" (Adelson, 1995). Current events The main common feature between Tunisia and Egypt is a repressive regime, which is appr opriate for other Middle Eastern autocracies (Egypt and the  Middle East:  revolution  or evolution?) In spite of a social turmoil, it is relevant to note that Tunisia is â€Å"an economically successful state† (Dunne 2010). In accordance with data of the World Economic Forum's  Global Competitiveness Index 2010  Tunisia  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœgained the lead’ in comparison with Poland,  Italy and  Spain. In 2010 Tunisia was â€Å"a country for tourism, not terrorism† (Burger 2010). Social support of the government enabled pregnant women to receive prenatal care; there were favorable conditions for businessmen to start their business in 11 days (Burger 2010). In spite of the mentioned data, an oppressive regime of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Alikept has been an issue of a great concern for Tunisian society. 90s were marked by imprisonment of more than 10,000 political opponents, Islamists, or ‘suspected enemies’ (Burger 2010).  There was no cha nce to criticize Tunisian government. Tunisia was known as the country with the most repressive regime. Among Middle Eastern dictatorships,  Tunisia  was considered one of the most repressive. Thus, a current protest of public in Tunisia is often compared to a ‘dog who barks in a desert’ (Burger 2010). Voiceless people are not afraid and finally express their ideas versus their government, their real