"Looking Back"

“Looking Back”

Make Films Not WarBrandon Griggs4/21/2014

Arab revolutions occurred back in 2011, we have seen a lot of turmoil come from these events. In some regions we have learned that rape, pillaging and the deaths of many innocents was a common theme within these regions. I have written only a handful of papers and briefly discussed a lot of issues that have been happening, in “Make Films Not War” we have covered issues with other areas of the Middle East. A lot of our conversations talked about the Israeli, Palestine conflicts and taking the facts that we research upon and reflecting those back onto the matter at hand. A big question asked there is “who is right in this situation”, a lot of students and professionals alike still don’t feel that they really have the answer to this. I have also written, discussed and at times argued about the Arab Revolutions; their meanings and what I and others think the outcomes are going to be. A common, boring, and trending theme is one where many people do not flesh out their true feelings towards these issues. I can sense that some people (classmates, experts etc.) have a vivid idea on what they believe the end result of these revolutions are going to be. There are people who have a passionate stance on other topics in the Middle East like the Israeli, Palestine conflicts, among many other varying issues. Many hold back, restrain themselves, they fear that they will step on someones toes and offend them in some shape or form. Toes are going to get stepped on, feelings will be hurt but I want to know what people really think on these issues. Your opinion could be flat out wrong, or maybe something interesting that hasn't been said yet but it’s up to you to say it. Restraining our thoughts is only holding us back. Roughly three years after the revolution, here in the year of 2014, we are still unsure of what to make of it all, that is in part due to people restraining their thoughts.

This class has taught me a lot. Stereotypes of Middle Easterners and how they all are the strict religious type, all suicide bombers are heartless murdering animals, how petty I feel the Israeli, Palestine conflicts truly are, and how with these Arab revolutions there is always two sides to the same coin. The same outcome won’t be witnessed everywhere, humans are unpredictable and that won’t change anytime soon (at least as far as I can see). This class and my other Arab class titled “Arab Spring” have both worked in conjunction with each other to help illuminate and shape my thoughts on what is happening in the Middle East. In my final paper/blog posting that I did for my “Arab Spring” class I primarily focused on Arab uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Common themes that developed in this paper were my coin theory (a simple one I know), the impossible was done in all these nations and the impossible is still being challenged, day in and day out. Quite honestly I just get angry with a lot of these issues.

Libyan revolutions had such a dire contrast to say that of Tunisia. Libya flattened cities, mass bled shed occurred, raping, pillaging, and the brutal murders of many innocents in this conflict. These are just a few of the themes and there are many others that I am not aware of. My coin theme is the idea that with great success there will also be great failure that occurs and the examples lie with many of the Arab Uprisings. Many young Arabs started out with grand ideas, simply grand ideas of what they wanted their country to do for them. Though not every nation that had a revolution got what they so desperately envisioned. Just with the three countries that I researched, there were varying degrees of success.

Libya also essentially had a public execution of Mubarak using the technology in their hands. That is something that I strongly stand against, and it shouldn't have happened. If the people wanted change then they should have tried him and shown that they are better than that of savage tactics used commonly by the dictators of their region.

Egypt is a great example of the highest standards for what they envisioned to happen after the dusts of revolt had settled. What they came out with was far from what they had fought for, they are not out of the fight by any means but seeing where they currently are is unfortunate to see. The biggest theme to understand with Egypt is there new found confidence in the people, rather than fear of the government that “rules” them. I quote that because it is a dead ideal (unfortunate for their government), a new ideal has arisen, an ideal that the government is supposed to work for its people and that the government should be afraid of its people. These are brand new thoughts that many didn’t feel could be spoken out loud.

I come out of this class a lot more confident in having an opinion on Middle Eastern affairs. I understand that I am literally just scratching the surface to these issues but I have to start somewhere. In most papers I have written with Middle Eastern context I leave it open ended with a positive note to send it off. While I still feel that most of the Arab Revolutions are good there is admittedly, unavoidably, negative repercussions to them. Through this class I understand the Middle East just a little bit better, but its miles ahead of where I was at the start of this semester. There is a lot of work that has got to be done in the Middle East, work in relations with other countries, internal issues, working on a functioning constitution (in some nations) and in some nations there is still war happening. I feel that the end result is ultimately going to be positive and for the better.