Clinton: Revolutionary wave could just be 'a mirage in the desert'

[News_Editor]

Clinton: Revolutionary wave could just be 'a mirage in the desert'

2011-04-13 15:46:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday evening warned that the revolutionary wave in the Middle East and North Africa could just be "a mirage in the desert" if the region does not pursue a new approach to its challenges.

Clinton made the remarks in Washington, D.C. during the Gala Dinner Celebrating the U.S.-Islamic World Forum. The event comes on the heels of revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, along with major protests in other countries, and leading to a civil war in Libya.

"I do not need to tell this distinguished audience that we are meeting at an historic time for one region in particular: the Middle East and North Africa," Clinton said during her remarks. "Today, the long Arab winter has begun to thaw. For the first time in decades, there is a real opportunity for lasting change, a real opportunity for people to have their voices heard and their priorities addressed."

Clinton said this raises significant questions. "Will the people and leaders of the Middle East and North Africa pursue a new, more inclusive approach to solving the region's persistent political, economic, and social challenges? Will they consolidate the progress of recent weeks and address long-denied aspirations for dignity and opportunity? Or, when we meet again at this Forum in one year or five years or ten, will we have seen the prospects for reform fade and remember this moment as just a mirage in the desert?"

The Secretary of State said such questions can only be answered by the people and leaders of the region themselves, but that the United States is committed to working as a partner to "help unlock" the region's potential and to realize change.

"Much has been accomplished already," she added. "Uprisings across the region have exposed myths that for too long were used to justify a stagnant status quo. You know the myth that governments can hold on to power without responding to their people's aspirations or respecting their rights; the myth that the only way to produce change in the region is through violence and conflict; and, most pernicious of all, the myth that Arabs do not share universal human aspirations for freedom, dignity, and opportunity."

Clinton pointed out that today's generation of young people rejects such false narratives, and that they are not willing to accept the 'status quo.' "Despite the best efforts of the censors, they are connecting to the wider world in ways that their parents and grandparents could never imagine. They now see alternatives, on satellite news, on Twitter and Facebook, in Cairo and Tunis. They know a better life can be within reach - and they are now willing to reach for it," she added.

But, Clinton said these young people have "inherited a region that in many ways is unprepared to meet their growing expectations." She said such challenges have been well documented in a series of independent reports. "Answering these challenges will help determine if this historic moment lives up to its promise," she said.

The speech comes at a time when both Egypt and Tunisia are attempting to reshape their political future in wake of the revolutions, which has led to the deaths of nearly 1,000 people in those two countries alone.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-04-13

[bangkokeddy]

Or, when we meet again at this Forum in one year or five years or ten, will we have seen the prospects for reform fade and remember this moment as just a mirage in the desert?

Don't you know? Change takes time.

Still love the desert metaphor, so original.

[EnSvenskTiger]

SHE say that! How cute! How about comming clean on how much she stuffed , and still stuffs, into the pocket of the despots in that region!

Just who are they paying today?

tiger

[zzaa09]

SHE say that! How cute! How about comming clean on how much she stuffed , and still stuffs, into the pocket of the despots in that region!

Just who are they paying today?

tiger

The truth won't work in this case, Tiger.

[geriatrickid]

SHE say that! How cute! How about comming clean on how much she stuffed , and still stuffs, into the pocket of the despots in that region!

Just who are they paying today?

tiger

Jealous?

[Credo]

Nah, they aren't jealous, they just need to have their medication adjusted.

Clinton is a brilliant and well-informed person and the US is much, much better off for her willingness to serve. Change does take time, but given the history of the region, one can only hope that the change is positive and that it doesn't result in a new group of tyrants.

Some of these countries have huge populations in comparison to the resources available for a growing population.

[brahmburgers]

The lady is right. Arabs in general will always rally around the strong man who talks/boasts the loudest. And they'll always be cowed by the religionists who compel them to feel too guilty and scared to stray from strict adherence Islam. The few who dare to have bright thoughts for an egalitarian future will always be smothered by the few (on the other end of the spectrum) who seek draconian control. The cycle will go on and on. The only 'free' Muslims will be the ones who are lucky or rich enough to move far afield - to freer countries.

[Steely Dan]

The lady is right. Arabs in general will always rally around the strong man who talks/boasts the loudest. And they'll always be cowed by the religionists who compel them to feel too guilty and scared to stray from strict adherence Islam. The few who dare to have bright thoughts for an egalitarian future will always be smothered by the few (on the other end of the spectrum) who seek draconian control. The cycle will go on and on. The only 'free' Muslims will be the ones who are lucky or rich enough to move far afield - to freer countries.

Yes agreed, we are in uncharted territory for sure and in big danger of replacing a collection of despots with a collection of medieval theocracies. Despots are so much easier to contain as fundamentalist Islam recognises no Country and no law except it's own, therefore any immigration from such Countries sets off a ticking timebomb in the west. I think someone was asleep at the wheel big time in calling for the removal of Mubarak.