The politician said: “The labor will be lengthy and costly. We will have more than Misrata and Tripoli; more than San'aa and Aden; more than Dar'aa. The Tunisian experience is different, and so is the Egyptian one. The fall of the wall of fear in the Arab world is more dangerous than the fall of the Berlin wall. Eastern Europe was lucky, generally speaking. The stable and democratic Western Europe hastened to contain the fire that was ignited in its proximity. It assisted those who came toward democracy, and the cultural factor was an ally in this.” He added, “The Arab scene, however, is completely different. We are witnessing a violent war in Libya. Gadhafi's statements reveal his complete alienation from this world that has changed. He did not understand the message addressed to him by the people. He did not understand that the dictionary from which he came and on the basis of which he ruled has become dead and obsolete. The situation in Yemen is no less serious. Any failure of the Gulf mediation will open wide the doors to bloodshed. Ali Abdullah Saleh is exaggerating in toying with time, as this game could blow up in the face of both his regime and his country. Yemen's explosion would be terrible. The player's skills in previous eras make him forget that the dictionary from which he came has expired. Syria's joining of the club of the countries in turmoil is no simple event. The effect of any collapse in Syria on the region will be greater than that of the uprooting of Saddam Hussein's regime. Avoiding such a fate deserves to take great decisions that are rapid and painful. The security solution deepens the crisis and exposes Syria to a terrible explosion. Some losses are better than risking a full loss. The previous dictionary is no longer valid. Traditional treatments were applicable to old ailments. They are certainly not applicable in dealing with the earthquake. Assad has to move fast if he wants to turn the situation around.” On my way from the hotel to the airport, I was pondering what I had heard in the Gulf capital. Suddenly, the driver decided to beat time and boredom and start a dialogue. He said he had been working for more than a decade in this country and that he missed his homeland. When I asked him what he was waiting for to express his nostalgia, he replied with a wide grin, “The people want the regime's collapse.” He repeated it with obvious optimism. He said he was sad because the Eritreans had not yet flowed into the streets to topple their dictator, and that the era of the sole ruler oppressing his country and its abilities in the absence of any constitution or law had ended. Indeed, this is old talk that is no longer acceptable. The role played by Isaias Afwerki in the search for independence does not justify his oppression and his crushing of any dissident opinion. The man was pleased to have a tribune to express himself. He said that Eritreans wanted bread, jobs, and freedom. They want a normal state whose ruler changes through ballot boxes, and whose security apparatus does not dare to treat people's freedoms with contempt or violate their dignity. Pretexting external threats and foreign conspiracies is a lie that deceives no one anymore. Twenty years after Afwerki's rule, poverty and subjugation have increased, and it is every Eritrean's dream to escape abroad as if he were escaping a prison. I asked him what he did after work, and he said, “I watch TV. I followed what happened in Tunisia and Egypt, and I'm currently following what is happening in Yemen, Libya, and Syria. I await the day where Eritreans will crowd the streets of Asmara demanding the departure of Afwerki or his trial if he refuses. Despite the prevailing calm today, I feel this day is getting closer.” The TV scenes have infiltrated people's feelings, reminded them of their rights and abilities, and offered them a chance to make comparisons. They gave them a dose of hope and made them feel the ability to change what was believed would last. The world infiltrated itself to us through TV, cellphones, and the internet. It is the world of pluralism, respect of the other, and work with dignity. The dictionary of oppression, marginalization, tampering with the development numbers and votes has fallen. The dictionary from which the ruler has come has fallen; and to each era its own ruler and its own dictionary.
