MENA Revolutions Are Not People Power!

That’s according to some pundits who claim that unfolding events in the Middle East and Africa have not accounted for as People’s Power.

They allege that these upheavals are politically organized aimed at destabilizing the existing regime for the benefit of some scheming insiders.

How valid are their assertions?

From today’s New York Times, [bold highlights mine]

In Bahrain, the day started out with a lull, as both sides appeared to have been rattled by the violence of the past week, in which at least seven people were killed. The leaders of the major opposition parties called off the protests for Saturday, telling the public to stay home in an effort to lower the temperature.

But in what appeared to be a measure of who controls the movement now, the people ignored their ostensible leaders. Marchers set out from villages and the city center and by midday converged on Pearl Square.

The police met them with tear gas and rubber bullets. Young men collapsed in the road and others ran for cover, but people kept coming.

The police fired again.

Then the government blinked, perhaps sensing that the only way to calm a spiral of violence that claimed more lives with each passing day was to cede the square to the protesters.

I guess the main concept of people power revolution to these pundits is one of outright bloodshed modeled after the early 20th century (highlighted by centralized political philosophies).

From the above account, nevertheless, they seem totally out of touch with present reality.

So much for top-down thinking.