A word we hear a lot in the Arab world at the moment is “dignity”. We heard it in Tunisia in December and in Tahrir Square in Cairo in January. And we are hearing it in Libya and Syria now.
Dignity is a fundamental foundation of Arab culture. The word of course means different things to different people, but it has been at the heart of events in the region in recent months. For the unemployed Tunisian it was reflected in the humiliation of being unable to support himself and his family. For the Syrian protester demanding freedom from oppression it is reflected in a sense of powerlessness. And for the people who forced the departure of Mubarak, it was the pride of belonging to a popular movement that had achieved significant change.
The tragedy in Libya illustrates the clash between a brutal tyrant and his people’s demand for dignity. The fighters struggling to remove Qadhafi are seeking a better future: an open society where everyone’s voice counts and where the wealth of the country is fairly distributed.
The coalition of Western and Arab countries is supporting the Libyan people’s quest for dignity: the right to protest against a government that has denied them the freedom to express themselves and squandered much of their country’s wealth. Libya’s Arab neighbours understood this demand. The call for a No-Fly Zone came from the Gulf Co-operation Council and the Arab League and the military action to protect civilians has already saved countless lives of Libyan civilians. So this is not an action by the West against Arab countries. This week’s Libya Contact Group meeting in Doha will be jointly chaired by Qatar and the UK and attended by Jordan and many other Arab countries. Indeed, Jordan’s contribution of logistical support and humanitarian aid is a crucial part of the coalition’s efforts.
Dignity is also something that Arab leaders have searched for as the world has changed around them and their people have made clear that their term is at an end. Timing is everything but in Libya I still believe that many in the upper echelons of the regime can still be on the right side of history, and win quiet dignity in the long term, by abandoning Qadhafi and his murderous campaign now.
No-one knows how long the conflict in Libya will last. I hope we will soon see an end to the fighting and the departure of Qadhafi. The task will then be to support Libya’s political, economic and social rehabilitation. And the restoration of the dignity of the Libyan people.