Even if you have been living under a rock for the past month, you are probably at least peripherally aware that the world is changing. And if you have bothered to follow the news and look at a map of the Middle East and North Africa, you have probably come to the realization that the whole world is exploding in revolution.
We are living in an age of transformation; people around the world have come together and acted out to demand change. Demonstrations and unrest have occurred in more than a dozen countries as authoritarian leaders are challenged by popular movements calling for democratic reforms and demanding past transgressions such as human rights abuses and corruption be addressed. But why should we, as students at this university, care? Outside of the skyrocketing price of gas, what does any of this have to d0 with us? The short answer is everything.
On Feb. 11, following weeks of popular protests, civil disobedience and escalating violence, Hosni Mubarak stepped down as the president of Egypt, a position he had held for 30 years. After his announcement, there was jubilation in the streets of Cairo. Mubarak fled as the military took control in a provisional capacity until elections are organized. But perhaps the most amazing thing about these events is that it took only 18 days for the power and passion of people just like you to bring down an administration three decades in the making.
And it did not stop there. According to CNN, as of Friday, demonstrations and unrest had taken place across North Africa and the Middle East, in countries such as Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Mauritania, Syria, Djibouti, Jordan, Kuwait and the Palestinian Territories. Movements driven by the power and passion of ordinary people are taking shape around the world as individuals clamor for change. Pro-democracy protests are even taking place in China.
And though the revolutionary wave that the world is experiencing brings about uncertainty, we are incredibly fortunate to be living in a time where we can make a difference. As the world hurtles onward, faced with a myriad of interconnected crises, it is up to our generation to determine the course of human history. Are you and I going to be able to address global climate change, disease, energy, hunger, poverty, the management of diminishing resources, human rights and so many other issues that face us?
To be sure, this is no easy question to answer. But I am here to tell you that yes, this generation — that is to say you and I — can tackle the issues facing this world today. And while I cannot give you a roadmap or a detailed plan about how this is going to happen, what I can give you is hope and idealism.
Eight years ago, in November 2002, when I was a 13-year-old boy, I was lucky enough to hear then-Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan speak on this campus. Brought here to deliver the Sadat Lecture for Peace, Annan spoke of Anwar Sadat — the assassinated leader of Egypt whose death brought about the reign of Mubarak — and also of Israel and Palestine. He recounted the story of Sadat’s 1977 trip to Jerusalem, the same trip in which he told the Israeli parliament “we welcome you among us with full security and safety” and orchestrated a treaty that amounted to land for peace, as Israel fully withdrew from Egyptian territory. The picture he painted of the Middle East eight years ago is quite similar to the world of today, except for these instances of people taking to the streets and demanding change. He concluded by saying what we need is true leadership like that of Sadat.
And so today, I challenge all of you, my fellow students, to rise to the occasion and provide the leadership that is needed, the leadership that Annan and so many others have called for. As citizens of the United States, we too often take for granted that the liberties we hold most dear are the results of the hard work and sacrifices of people who came before us. We are incredibly lucky we do not have to take to the streets for the right to vote, but not so long ago many of us did. Perhaps we are so insulated from the realities of the world we fail to realize we are the ones with the power to make change. All this upheaval begets the question, should we panic because the world is going crazy? No. Instead, look around you and see where you can make a difference. Everyone else is.
Rob Riker is a senior government and politics and history major. He can be reached at riker at umdbk dot com.
