Guns, Oil, And The West

Gentlemen,

Poppin' the Cherry, whatup!

So I have been thinking lately about the uprisings across the Middle East and Northern Africa.

The Facts:

• So far the countries that have been successful are Egypt and Tunisia.
  
• Libya is the only country with NATO assistance.
• Other countries with populist movements: Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Morocco, and Jordan.

It is my understanding, correct me if I am wrong, basically people in this region are angry over poverty, lack of housing, and unemployment. Students are graduating from college and facing a non-existent job market (the few jobs are reserved for those who have an "in" with the government). The disparity between the "haves" and "have nots" is large and continuing to grow.

The Way I See It:

Guns: These seemingly peaceful protests are being crushed by domestic authorities using live ammo. These countries have been building up their military arsenals for years (probably in the name of defending themselves against Israel ) and now they can squash any "peasants" who defy them. These dictators/monarchs are like trapped animals, they are faced with being exiled or killed if they lose control.

Oil: Oil is a depleting resource, I don't know the exact figure but I imagine that a great deal of oil revenue goes to the monarchs (or dictators) who control the countries. As I see it, once oil is depleted in this region, they will have nothing but sand. If these countries continue on the path that they are on (with the monarchs/dictators claiming the proceeds as personal wealth) these countries will be fucked, having nothing to keep their economies afloat once oil is depleted. Logically, what makes sense is investing the revenue from oil in education (specifically STEM). They need to be at the forefront of innovation or working towards it before time (Oil) runs out.

The West: What can we do?! It's a slippery slope, if we set a precedent that the "West" will liberate any people from oppressive rule, we would be fucked. If we stand on the sidelines and watch, we will be witness to mass murder (and what does that make us?).

Summary:

If protests don't receive external support they will likely fail. Domestic authorities will use brutal suppressive tactics until calm is achieved.

There are three main questions within this post that I think would be interesting to discuss (definitely don't limit it to these):

1. GUNS: Is it possible for these people to liberate themselves without "western" assistance?
2. OIL: Is the future for this region as bleak as I perceive it?
3. THE WEST: What should the "West" do?