Washington tries to control world’s revolts

The imperialist powers at first appeared surprised and without a coherent response to the mass uprisings in January against their existing client regimes in the mainly Arab states in Western Asia and North Africa. By the end of March the European imperialist powers — with some dissidence — have regrouped under U.S. leadership to increase their intrusion into the region with diplomacy and bombs.

Depending on the situation in the particular country, this intrusion has taken different forms.

In Tunisia and Egypt, where powerful mass movements have deposed long-term imperialist clients, the U.S. has looked to keep the army intact and in control of the state, while supporting those political forces that will cooperate with world imperialism much as the old rulers did, but with new faces.

On the Arabian peninsula, ruled mainly by monarchies tied by political, military and especially economic bonds to the imperialists, the U.S. has supported the old rulers, supplying the bullets these regimes fire against their unarmed opposition.

In countries whose governments have at least some independence from the imperialists, Washington is ready to promote uprisings to bring about “regime change.” In Libya, the U.S. and the other imperialists first waged a propaganda campaign against the existing Moammar Gadhafi government and then used bombs and rockets to support the “rebel” side of a civil war. The policy’s goal is to depose the regime and reconquer Libya as a colony.

Since Washington considers the Syrian regime an obstacle to its domination of the region, the corporate media can be expected to both give extensive coverage to developments there and exaggerate any repression, as it did with Libya.

There is no guarantee the imperialist strategy will succeed. The revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia and throughout the region are still developing and may surprise the world once more.

Prayers give way to protests

On March 25, hundreds of thousands protested in these countries after Friday prayers, demanding both rights and better living conditions.

The largest protests took place in Yemen. Tens of thousands of people called upon President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign. For seven weeks people have been camping out in a square in Sana’a, the capital, near the university, but protests also reached other parts of the country. A week earlier security forces fired on demonstrators, killing 52 and injuring more than 600 in this country of more than 23 million people.

Rumors were published by March 28 that Saleh would resign, but then they were reversed. Leaders of some tribes had earlier declared opposition to Saleh, and there were reports that they had seized seven military bases in the province of Shabwa east of Sana’a.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on ABC television March 27 that Saleh’s eventual fall would pose “a real problem” for the U.S. regarding its conflict with al-Qaeda. Such talk raises the possibility of yet another U.S. direct intervention in the region. There are already U.S. Special Forces and CIA operatives working alongside the Yemeni military. (AFP, March 27)

In Jordan protesters set up a tent city at the site of the Ministry of the Interior in Amman, the capital. They announced open-ended sit-ins to demand more personal and political rights, the resignation of Prime Minister Marouf Al-Bakhit and a new electoral law. Other demands include the dissolution of parliament and the secret service, which works closely with Western intelligence services.

The regime responded with water cannons and thugs, who protesters say were hired by the government, shutting down the camp.

Repression was also at a higher level in Bahrain, where the week before Saudi Arabia had sent hundreds of troops across the causeway connecting it to the island country. Protesters are demanding a restructuring of the monarchy, with more political rights ahead. The regime imposed martial law, however, which prohibits all public gatherings.

In Egypt there was a new reason to protest. The military junta ruling the country adopted a new law on March 23 outlawing all demonstrations, sit-ins and strikes, whether at private or public enterprises. Whoever calls such actions can face imprisonment of up to one year or a heavy fine. March 25 protests were at the university, in Tahrir Square and in front of the National Radio and Television Building.

In Syria protests of hundreds of people continued on March 25 in Damascus and Deraa in the south of the country, where a dozen people were reported killed the week before. Protests then opened up in Latakia on the Mediterannean coast on March 27. The government of Bashar al-Assad has sent troops to the affected areas and has also spoken of working on a new law that would end the emergency laws in place since the 1960s.

In northern Iraq in the city of Sulaimaniya in the Kurdish region, demonstrations began on March 23 against corruption in the major Kurdish parties, which all cooperate with the U.S. military occupation of Iraq.