Youth empowerment and Democracy

There are several reasons that contribute to why MENA has been resistant to political reform. While the countries in Africa and Asia have changed in structure and new countries had formed, the number of countries in MENA have stayed relatively the same.The economy is also quite closely regulated by the state, not allowing much freedom on the part of the individual.Poverty, low literacy rates and a great inequality in class has also contributed in a stagnation of flourishing democracy. There are also not many democratic states around the region geographically that could influence change. Lastly, many leaders in the area try to restrict change through their version of Islam and use religion to justify their motives.
Bellin could not have predicted the drastic change during the Arab Revolts. For one thing, technology had a great part to play in the organization of the masses during that critical time. Secondly, youth empowerment has helped change the dynamic of the nations during the uprising. The youth were optimistic that their demands would be heard and were motivated in order to make it happen. In Tunisia and Egypt, however, she describes that there has been Western support of the authoritarian regimes. This makes the strides to democracy further diminished as the need for change is stifled by the West. Any security concerns the Western leaders may have in the area is decreased by keeping close ties with the authoritarian dictators. This sort of support from the West decreases the ability for the average masses to demand democracy.
It is my personal opinion that the region is completely capable of democracy. Since Bellin's paper was written, many changes had occurred in the MENA region. However, the most notable thing that has an effect is the bravery of young individuals. They are willing to risk incarceration in order to get their message across. This shows the outside world that the people in MENA are ready for change and are making strides in trying to achieve it.