Saudi Gazette Social transformations often occur when people embrace technological developments and make them part and parcel of their everyday life. Although people all over the world know the effect of pictures and images, they have not yet realized their great power to transcend and reach any part of the globe. Because people do not realize this fact, they keep making the same mistakes and are surprised when they see the results of their folly. The former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, for example, had to apologize to a widow whom he branded a “racist bigot”. He met the woman during his election campaign, and when he made the statement about her, he was in the privacy of his car but did not realize that the microphone on his jacket from a previous interview was still turned on. What happened to Brown and added to the reasons why his party lost the election happens every day. People in most developed societies still make foolish mistakes and do not realize that they live in the age of pictures and images. What they do and say can be seen and heard by millions of people around the world sometimes with profound and grave results. In another example from the Arab world, Muammar Gaddafi's regime collapsed and the event was broadcast live. The torturing and killing of Gaddafi and his son Al-Muatassim should not have been a part of the history of the Libyan revolution nor should these images have been made available to possibly play a role in reformulating the future of the country. Scenes of the torturing of Gaddafi were broadcast on TV and Internet sites around the clock and they have become a part of the pictures and images of the history of the Libyan revolution. The scenes of torture and of the maiming of the bodies of the tyrant, his sons and aides will definitely affect the future path of the Libyan revolution. We all remember the events of the July 1958 revolution in Iraq led by Abdul Karim Al-Qasim. Nuri Al-Said, the then prime minister of Iraq, was shot dead and his corpse was dragged through the scorching streets of Baghdad. We also remember how Abdul Karim Al-Qasim was tortured and thrown over the Diali Bridge in handcuffs following a coup d'état led by his colleague Abdul Salam Arif. We all know what happened to the Iraqi revolution afterwards. I fear that Libya will find itself, following the collapse of the tyrant regime, in the grip of avengers who want to settle past scores. I also fear that the scenes of the mutilation of Gaddafi's body may lead to some Libyans seeing no harm in spilling human blood. We have all followed the Arab Spring revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria, but the results in Tunisia and Egypt seem unclear. The future still poses many questions and there is much confusion about the future of both countries. The struggle between the revolutionaries and counter-revolutionary forces is becoming more and more fierce. Moreover, the revolutionaries are beginning to doubt the loyalty of those who are leading the revolutions. It is unclear what will happen next in the region. The only solution is to adopt clear mechanisms for the future. This requires the support of the entire region and the international community to stabilize those countries affected by the Arab Spring. The alternative may be violence with risks and dangers that will not stop at any border. __
