Yemen and Syria Warn Dictators

Moammar Gadhafi’s death has inspired people of Syria and Libya to send a message to their dictators, “You’re next.” The death of the Libyan leader brought joy to people all over the world yesterday. "This is a lesson for all dictatorships: The clear fate of all who kill his people is to end up under the feet of the nation," said Omar Al-Muqdad, a Syrian opposition activist, according to CNN.

Now that Gadhafi is dead, other Middle Eastern countries with dictators are confident that they can follow in the footsteps of Libya and liberate themselves. 

"Gadhafi is gone, your turn is coming, Bashar," protesters proclaimed Friday in Syria, according to ABC. MSNBC reported Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was walking around with a bigger security force than normal after Gadhafi’s death.

The Syrian revolt has been making progress over the last couple months but lately it has been brutally suppressed by the government. According to ABC, U.N. estimates say that more than 3,000 people have been killed in recent weeks.

Syria has witnessed the success of Libya’s armed uprising and people say they are beginning to see the limits of peaceful protests.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president of Yemen, has also seen a spike in confidence from the rebellion he faces.

“Whether he was killed or not, I hope Saleh is watching the news closely,” Yemeni blogger Afrah Nasser said before Gadhafi’s death was confirmed, according to CNN.  She hopes that Yemen will have international support or at least the same type of military intervention that Libya received from NATO.

Regional expert David Hartwell says that Yemen is closer to a change in power that Syria, according to CNN.  He agreed though that Gadhafi’s death could have “ripple effects” in the Middle East.

"Further down the line you may see disturbances in other countries," he told CNN, adding that "Bahrain has been postponed rather than resolved ... Iran, when there are presidential elections in two years -- but for the moment it's Syria and Yemen."