Middle East Stability: Repressive Regimes

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Dept: Half a world away, but far closer in spirit, Tunisian-born Montrealers also took to the streets, demanding the federal government force the billionaire brother-in-law of deposed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to leave Canada, according to Montreal Gazette. More than elsewhere in the country, Montreal has taken to heart the battles playing out in the Middle East. The city has long been the destination of choice for most Arabic-speaking immigrants, many of whom fled repressive regimes in their North African homelands. When cellphone reception is blocked in Cairo or the relatives of a deposed dictator are seen scrambling to the safety of our shores, thousands of Montrealers feel personally involved and in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Algeria and Jordan, protesters have taken to the streets in a movement that, while it threatens Middle East stability, could prove the long-awaited step toward greater democratization and freedom in the region. And as if to prove beyond a shadow of doubt how inextricably linked the world has become, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in Morocco this week. On a visit to launch free-trade negotiations, Harper was unable to avoid taking a position on the protest movement sweeping the Arab world, saying Canada supports "democratic development" in both Tunisia and Egypt. As reported in the news.
@t free trade negotiations, prime minister stephen harper