The End of Mideast Fatalism

Globalization has changed the world over the last 30 years, but its power is not merely economic. A wave of freedom is spreading that knows no borders. Sometimes it carries the day (the Velvet Revolution); sometimes it runs up against political-military machines, either secular (Tiananmen, 1989) or religious (Iran, 2009). No matter. A globalized younger generation will not silence its cries (often digital): “Back off!” “Get out of our way!” “Give us some space!” Tunisian passion quickly rattled the Egyptian fortress, and soon much of the Middle East felt the impact in some form—including, most recently, Syria. A spiritual atomic bomb is shaking up ancestral forms of oppression that now appear voluntary—and thus open to voluntary destruction.