Saudi GazetteThere are many reasons for the profound and surprising changes that have been taking place in the Arab region. Revolutionary slogans in Egypt, Syria and Yemen are similar. They all say “Leave”, “People want to change the regime,” or “People want to overthrow the regime”. The revolutions have also coincided with each other; they all began during the first quarter of this year. What happened? And why is it happening now? Dr. Humood Abu Taleb, a friend, tried to answer these questions in his book entitled “2011 Squares”. In the introduction to his book, Dr. Abu Taleb said that he would answer these questions. However, the book in fact consists of articles written by him during the tumultuous events that gripped the region. Although the articles reflected a courageous attempt on the part of the writer to give a snapshot of the events, he did not dig deeper to search for their real causes nor did he attempt to analyze the repercussions they might yet have. The book however makes it clear that the author feels that the Arab Spring revolutions turned what happened in Egypt, in particular, and what has taken place in Yemen, Syria and Libya into local events in all Arab countries, and that the outcome of these events will decide the future of each country. One things is sure, Dr. Abu Taleb did not go the countries where the revolutions were staged. Like most of us, he just held the remote control in his hand and flipped through the news channels. He watched, listened, followed and pondered over the scenes of revolutions that were displayed before him. The Arab Spring revolutions might be among the most prominent manifestations of the age of electronic media or live TV coverage. They might also be among the most prominent manifestations of the revolution in communications technology, with public opinion being rallied through social networking websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and with the events of revolutions then being broadcast on YouTube. The revolutions would not have occurred if such technologies did not exist. What is striking is that the Western communities which developed these technologies and social networking sites did not think for one moment that communications technology could bring about such revolutionary changes so rapidly and definitively. What is also striking is that those who have taken to the streets of New York as part of the “Occupy Wall Street” campaign were inspired by the Egyptian revolution of January 25, a revolution that would not have taken place had it not been for modern communications technology. The number of Egyptians carrying cell phones has reached around 76 million out of a total population of 85 million, and a popular joke reflects the role technology played in the Egyptian revolution. The joke warns future rulers of Egypt saying: “Watch out. There are 70 million Egyptians who have exchanged each other's phone numbers. It will only take them one call to meet again in Tahrir Square.” __
