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From Beirut to Baghdad, Outbreak of Anger in the Middle East

From Beirut to Baghdad, street anger has become contagious in the Arab world. The same social-economic flaws are found in every country crossed by this wave of protest.

Anemic growth for nearly ten years and mass unemployment are the powerful drivers of these movements, says the IMF. The lack of work, income, perspective is sorely felt among women and the youngest, the hardest hit. A quarter of the Iraqi youth, one third of that of Lebanon are now idle. And this youth deprived of future is not only the fact of the generation that is today in the street. 60% of the inhabitants of Arab countries are under 30 years old. But growth is far too weak to create the jobs required by demographic pressure. This variable is found in other countries where the street has ignited: Sudan, Algeria, or Egypt.

Young people overwhelmed by years of immobility

Sixteen years ago, Iraq emerged from the war. Thirty years ago, Lebanon too, but these countries have still not taken off economically. Ditto for Egypt. The country led by General al-Sisi is furiously similar to Mubarak's in the confiscation of the economy by the military. In the Middle East and North Africa region, growth is lower than in other emerging countries, notes the IMF. And unemployment, always him, much higher. For ten years, growth has been lower than in the previous decade, resulting in stagnant per capita income. But not for everyone. Inequality has exploded in Lebanon for example. Between 2005 and 2014, the richest 1% received nearly a quarter of the total national income, making Lebanon a comparable country in Brazil or South Africa in terms of inequality notes the economist Lydia Assouad.

Protesters for a complete renewal of the teams in power

The demonstrators therefore want to review from top to bottom an economy focused on the satisfaction of the privileged. A few weeks ago in Egypt, it is the denunciation of the embezzlement committed by President al-Sissi and his relatives by a fooled entrepreneur who threw hundreds of demonstrators in the street. In Lebanon, young people denounce the denominational networks that trust jobs, including the most modest, for the exclusive account of their own faithful. While in Algeria, the peaceful street ended up chasing President Bouteflika and his predatory clan. As the Sudanese got rid of Omar al-Bashir.

Can the rulers still meet these requirements?

Decommitted, rejected, they have the greatest difficulty in finding the solution or solutions to meet these expectations. The Iraqi Prime Minister elected a year ago on promises of economic reforms is now totally discredited. He acknowledged that there were no magic solutions to Iraq's problems, that it was impossible to realize in one year the dreams of the last 16 years. In Lebanon, the first measures announced, the reduction of ministers' salaries, appear cosmetic. But it must be said that the weight of the debt, 150% of GDP, leaves little room for maneuver. The governor of the Central Bank on Monday warned the population against the risk of default that could plunge the country into an even more serious crisis if the paralysis of the entire economy caused by the movement continues.

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