For many of us, the term "Middle East" usually brings to mind images of conflict, oil, and general unrest. This region, composed of North Africa and Southwest Asia, is one of the prime areas for conflict. The problem is, this conflict can directly affect us because of the major resource in the area....oil. Gas prices are spiking due to recent protests in areas like Libya and Egypt. General unrest also makes travel to the region unsafe. The United States often places warnings on areas in the Middle East telling citizens to avoid travel there. Most recently in April, the U.S. Government told citizens to avoid travel to Syria and Lebanon because of the political strife there.So what are all these protests about? Perhaps the protest making the news most recently are those in Libya. Protesters in Libya have been trying to remove Moammar Gaddafi, the leader for the past 42 years, from power since January of 2011. Often these protests ended with the calling in of Gaddafi's security forces and the death or wounding of numerous protesters. In February one protest resulting in around 200 deaths! More recently, the protesters have turned into rebels who are revolting against the government for their freedom. While the government continues to deny military action against these freedom fighters, European nations as well as the U.S. have determined otherwise and as of March 11, most European nations have stopped recognizing Gaddafi as the leader of Libya. Yet the conflict continues despite numerous casualties.
So what are the Libyan people attempting to accomplish? It is merely a matter of freedom and human rights. Gaddafi's reign has resulted in the public executions of anyone who did not agree with him and complete dictatorship. Libya has been named the most censored area of the region. Because of this, citizens want to be rid of Gaddafi and to have a democracy with free elections. Considering that oil makes up most of the country's national income, these protest directly affect oil importing countries, especially European countries which import most of the Libyan oil.
Libya, however, is not the only area of the region that is undergoing massive protests and riots. Egypt has also been experiencing unrest since the removal of President Hosni Mubarak from power. Protesters pour out daily demanding the trial of their former leader. Some have even stormed government buildings in hopes of finding incriminating evidence against the former President's administration. As the country prepares for new leadership, many Christians have been forced to flee Egypt because of the Muslim mobs. Some Christians have already been killed during the burning of churches by said mobs. Because most of the country is Muslim, it is likely that the new government will also be Muslim based causing even more reasons for Christians to flee.With continued growing unrest in the region, it is no wonder we are paying four dollars at the pump! Oil is such a major part of this region bringing in most of the income for many countries. Over half of the world's proven oil reserves are in the Middle East and if those areas are in conflict, the worth of the oil is going to spike. As citizens of other countries, we need to stay informed of these situations to better understand the world around us as globalization continues to bind us together.
Well it will just have to be a shorter blog this time! For more information on recent events, check out this website.
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