VIEW: New season of revolutions —Iqbal Latif

The tyrants are not running away because they have become soft overnight but because their security forces are refusing to fire on their own people and establishments are refusing to support crumbling regimes

Recent events have surprised many, even those fighting for freedom and democracy. The liberation of Afghanistan — from a so-called Green Revolution — and Iraq — from a bloody secular tyranny –have led to popular uprisings around the world.

Consider Ukraine. Its Orange Revolution of 2004-2005 refers to a series of protests and political events that took place throughout the country in response to allegations of massive corruption, voter intimidation and electoral fraud during Ukraine’s presidential run-off election on November 21, 2004. The protesters adopted orange as the official colour of the movement because it was the predominant colour of opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko’s election campaign. The symbol of solidarity with Yushchenko in Ukraine was an orange ribbon or a flag bearing the slogan: “Tak! [Yes!] Yushchenko!”

The opposition campaign also referred to the Rose Revolution which was the peaceful 2003 revolution in Georgia that displaced President Eduard Shevardnadze.

The Orange Revolution is also called the Chestnut Revolution, due to the abundance of chestnut trees in Kiev — the capital city of Ukraine and the hub of the opposition forces’ activity. The protests included a series of nationwide demonstration, sit-ins, and planned general strikes, organised by Yushchenko’s supporters, following the disputed results of the election.

Moving east to the Middle East, the Cedar Revolution is the most commonly used name for the demonstrations in Lebanon (mainly Beirut) triggered by the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. It is also known as Lebanon’s Rabiee el Irz (Cedar Spring) because the protests broke out in spring as did the famous freedom and independence movement in Eastern Europe, the Prague Spring.

Cedar refers to a national emblem, the Lebanon cedar on the Lebanese flag. The opposition has taken the pro-Hariri blue ribbon as its symbol. The movement’s mottos were: Horryeh, Syadeh, Este’lal (Freedom, Sovereignty, Independence), and Ha’i’a, Horryeh, Wehdeh watanieh (Truth, Freedom, National unity).

But the season of revolutions do not end here. Next we witnessed the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan when the Supreme Court annulled the disputed 2005 parliamentary elections. President Askar Akayev flew the country, as protests in Bishkek and other cities escalated. The parliament has appointed Ishinbai Kadyrbekov as interim president.

As we witness these revolutions, we should remember their forerunners when civilians defied the wrath and the power of state machinery. On October 23, 1956, thousands of students marched in the streets of Budapest, an event the world remembers as the Hungarian Revolution.

The revolt was suppressed by the Hungarian government and the Warsaw Pact troops. About 25-50,000 Hungarian insurgents and 7,000 Soviet troops were killed and thousands wounded while nearly a quarter million left the country. Hungarian soldiers on duty in the city supported the protesters, tearing the Soviet stars off their hats and throwing them away.

Could any one forget the image of civilians climbing over a disabled Soviet tank in Budapest?

But this is not the only revolutionary image imprinted in our memories. We also remember the ‘tank man’ who on June 5, 1989 stood in front of a column of tanks. The image of the unknown, faceless individual standing still in Tiananmen Square, defying the might of the People’s Republic of China was seen by the entire world.

‘Tank Man’ is the nickname for the anonymous individual who became famous when he was filmed and photographed standing before a line of 17 or more tanks during the protests in 1989. The incident ironically took place on Chang An Da Dao, or “Great Avenue of Everlasting Peace”, just a minute away from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, which leads into the Forbidden City, Beijing. It was the second day of the government’s violent crackdown on the protests.

The man stood alone in the middle of the road as the tanks approached. He appeared to be holding two bags, one in each hand. The front tank attempted to drive around the man, but the man repeatedly stepped in its path. After about half an hour of blocking the tanks, the man climbed onto the tank in front and had a conversation with the driver. Finally, anxious onlookers pulled the man down and the tanks continued on their way.

These images are timeless symbols for civilian revolution.

From these revolutions to the ones we have witnessed in the present millennium, one cannot overlook the fact that the latter find their roots in past resistance to tyranny.

But it is important to understand why the ones in 1956 and 1989 failed. And why peaceful revolutions can now succeed.

Present day revolutions are rooted in the beliefs that direct and unilateral action is possible and justifiable and that a super power should embrace and push for opportunities for democracy and security. These revolutions succeed because they are the culmination of patient efforts; a result of a policy that actively promotes democracy and freedom in all regions of the world.

The present US administration has unleashed a pursuit of freedom among enslaved peoples. This is a new phenomenon. The tyrants are not running away because they have become soft overnight but because their security forces are refusing to fire on their own people and establishments are refusing to support crumbling regimes.

Now tanks do not come out to crush peaceful civilians. Potency of war tribunals, trial of war criminals and elections in unheard of places have made these revolutions possible.

People are not ready to accept slavery. They want freedom. Those not ready to coexist in harmony with the rest of the world are removed.

Iqbal Latif is an international businessman

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