From Egypt to Yemen, the Middle East and its bevy of dictators appear to be collapsing. But while some may consider this potential move toward democracy a good thing, others are understandably frightened at the dangers instability could bring.
For the years that Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi were in power, their decades of political rule were notably ruthless and corrupt. Yet they maintained a level of stability within their nations that oddly benefited the world. Faceless factions such as al Qaeda were kept under control largely by the fear and force said dictators maintained. But what about when those dictators are no longer around?
Already, current fighting between Yemeni security forces and members of al Qaeda has left people on both sides dead over the past few days. Still holding onto power despite calls for him to step aside, Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh argues that he is best equipped to lead the fight against Islamists. And it’s possible he might be right.
For all the good that overthrowing dictator rule for democracy may bring, would new leadership be able to garner the fear and respect quickly enough to keep dangerous terror groups out? Will order prevail, or are these nations at risk of falling prey to leaderless chaos? And what about the possibility of existing weapons of mass destruction falling into the wrong hands? At least for some foreign government experts, many are asking a very valid question: Does the devil you know, beat the devil you don’t?
