(MENAFN- Alghad Newspaper)
There is little difference, economically speaking, between Arab states which have seen relatively successful revolutionary change, like Tunisia, and others which have chosen to constitute thorough reforms, like Morocco.
Jordan's case fits in the second criteria, perhaps, even though the Kingdom is still suffering an unbearable economic situation.
More or less, the Tunisian model is considered to be the only successful ‘Arab Spring' revolt.
Despite all the dangerous political and security challenges Tunisians have had to overcome in the aftermath of Bin Ali's ousting, they still managed to dodge the fate of other Arab states, like Libya, Egypt, and Yemen.
More so, Tunisia has seen remarkable successes in the fields of democratisation and the conduction of reliable, transparent, and credible elections,
Their revolution has resulted in the formation of mature and consolidated national party-governments.
Morocco too, until recently, resembled an exemplary transformational model towards democracy.
The Moroccan model was based on constitutional reforms and elections which have landed Islamists in power, one with the ability to co-exist with the Monarchy.
However, the two countries have been suffering the weight of massive economic difficulties, which have agitated the peoples to the point of violent unrest.
In many Tunisian and Moroccan cities, people are taking to streets in protest over the economic situation.
Similar to other places throughout the Arab World, people there are just as discontent over rising unemployment, and deteriorating public health and educations sectors.
In spite of the economic potentials of those two countries, the post-revolutionary and post-reforms economic models were unable to enhance the living conditions of citizens.
To the greater lot of them, little did the conduction of transparent and credible elections matter, let alone democracy.
None of it matters so long as their lives have not been enhanced by it.
Leaderships in power, throughout the Arab World; brought by reforms, revolution, or assignment all the same, have failed to devise innovative mechanisms to address a deteriorating economy, which is very the reason revolts broke out in the first place!
No matter their political background, none of them were able to come up with any other solution, but to give in to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s terms.
Islamists, Liberalists, and leftists, none was able to secure the loans needed to fund economic reforms and drive growth. They all ended up going to the IMF.
Likewise, in each one of those countries, economic reform packages were met by popular resentment and fury.
Eventually, the revolutions, the slogans, everything the public worked and sacrificed for, to attain democratic, elected government, was undermined by economic turmoil.
The entirety of the political discourse, be it reform or revolution, was discredited by difficult economic terms imposed by the Fund, and accepted by elected government.
In other countries around the world, rising political forces tries to follow the Greek suit, by challenging the IMF's recipes.
As remarkable as it is, even the Greek leftist-coalition in power had to accept the terms of the European Union in return for grants and aide.
Ironically, even other revolutionary models which have long inspired Arab leftists, like Venezuela, are crumbling in the face of populism and political discombobulation.
Now, Venezuela itself, has turned into an economic catastrophe. Many other countries are trying hard not to end up in the same Venezuelan hole.
No one thinks reforms can fix an unbearable reality overnight.
The wreckage of years and decades cannot be salvaged by haphazardly revolts or reforms.
This is what the Arab Spring has proven.
In the absence of clear, actionable, realistic agendas, nothing can, for that matter; no matter how long it takes.
Moreover, actual change, mind you, is also unattainable in isolation from the objective, global setting.
It requires for both the subjective and objective factors to coincide and collaborate, to attain real, tangible change.
This article is an edited translation of the Arabic version, published by AlGhad.
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