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An illustrative look at news and events

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The end of Arab dynasaties?

Uprisings occurring in Tunisia, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries suggest the end of dictatorships or monarchies
supported mostly by the United States. It would be a shuffle of power unprecedented since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the U.S.S.R.
between 1989 and 1992.
Protests
Syria Saudi Arabia
• Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father Hafez in 2000. • The Al Saud clan has been in power
Despised by
the people, TUNISIA He was reappointed to the presidency with 98%
of the vote in a referendum held in 2007.
since 1932.
Ben Ali’s • King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, 85,
wife Leila • The Assad family, in power for 44 years, is showing signs of fatigue.
Trabelsi was enjoys the support of Iran and weak internal opposition. His half-brother Sultan is rumoured
to succeed him, but a “palace
suspected
of wanting
SYRIA revolution” should not be written off.
to succeed IRAQ
her Bashar al-Assad ISRAEL
husband. IRAN
Tunisia JORDAN
• President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, his wife
and her family are now fleeing to different QATAR
countries, including Saudi Arabia and Canada. LIBYA
• They accounted for 40% of the country’s
economy during a 23-year reign, and managed
EGYPT SAUDI U.A.E.
to make off with 1.36 tonnes of gold
when they left.
ARABIA OMAN
• Ben Ali and his wife are now the subject
of an international arrest warrant.
Egypt • Formally an Egyptian Air Force officer, Hosni
Mubarak took office on Oct. 14, 1981, after the
assassination of Anwar el-Sadat. Since then, he
has never lifted the state of emergency in Egypt.
• Recent events derailed the appointment of his
son Gamal for vice-presidency, in view of a President
possible succession. The family has fled to
London, England.
YEMEN Ali Abdullah
Saleh, 64,
• The Egyptian people no longer support the has been in
regime’s brutality, however the recent rise in food power for
Yemen
Seif Al-Islam, the son
of Moammar Gadhafi prices probably helped trigger the protests — 32 years.
disposable income is only $2 per person per day.
Libya Hosni Mubarak, 82, • About 14% of world’s seaborne trade passes
through the Suez Canal, and Egypt is the only
• Ali Abdullah Saleh became president of North Yemen in 1978
and remained in power during the country’s reunification
• In power since 1969, Moammar Gadhafi sponsored has been in power for in 1990. He won the 2006 election with 77% of the vote.
terrorist attacks in the 1980s before a “reconciliation” 29 years. country in the region to have signed a peace
treaty with Israel. Because of this, the disorgani- • Faced with massive demonstrations, he denied wanting to
with the West. His son Seif al-Islam, who wants pass the torch to his son Ahmed and his promises of reform.
to reform, is rumoured to succeed him. zation has raised fears in the U.S. and the
financial markets. RESEARCH BY PIERRE-ÉTIENNE PARADIS;
Sources: Graphic News; Le Figaro; Le Nouvel Observateur; El Watan; Wikipedia INFOGRAPHIC BY JUSTIN STAHLMAN /QMI AGENCY