Protests continue…

This time I am not referring to the events that occurred in Egypt that ended with Hosni Mubarak stepping down.  I am referring to the events occurring across Northern Africa and the Middle East. Protesters in Bahrain, Libya, Algeria, and Yemen are all calling for their leaders to step down and for democracy to make its way in.  People are finally finding their voices and want to be heard.

In Bahrain, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa was condemned by President Obama for his violent response to the protesters.  Later, the crown took steps to show restraint towards protesters by allowing them back into Manama's Pearl Square without military or police intervention. This was all in hopes of initiating a line of dialogue with the protesters to help find some middle ground. 

In Libya, the government continues to show violence towards the protesters.  The death toll has reached almost 100 people, yet there seems to be no end to the violence. According to witnesses, the military and police are using machine guns and missiles,  rather than simple weapons. What makes things worse is the government is trying to stop the information about what is happening from getting out.  But, their citizens are still finding ways of getting their voices heard because they know the world needs to know.

In Algeria, police are separating protesters into groups, possibly to prevent the reform movement from growing too large.  The government is promising to lift their 19-year old state of emergency by the end of the month, but time will only tell if they will do the right thing.  They are also keeping the police and protesters clashes as peaceful and humane as possible. 

In Yemen, protesters called for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, after his 30 year reign. The protesters are demanding change because of their poverty levels and the possibility of their country being a  haven for al-Qaeda.  There are also growing opposition movements that could rip the country apart if changes are not made soon.

All of these events can be considered, as my close friend puts it, a "domino effect."  For those who might be reading this and do not know what that is; the "domino effect," is when a small change occurs in one place, causing a similar change in a nearby place.  This continues in a somewhat linear fashion, until there is no where else to go.  Hopefully, through the coming days of protests the countries choose to continue a peaceful response to their citizens actions.

Side Note: I know there are other countries, like Kuwait, Iran, Tunisia, and Morocco, that are currently protesting for reforms or have successful completed their protests.  If they are not yet successful, I am sure as current events are showing, they will be successful in the future.