The revolution that swept Tunisia’s dictator away and sparked the uprising in Egypt is spreading to the rest of the region. Over the next two weeks, protesters are planning major demonstrations on specific dates with the belief that they can also bring down their leaders.

The secretary-general of the Arab League told the representatives from the organization that the “Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession.” He opened the meeting by warning, “The Tunisian revolution is not far from us.”

On February 3, opponents of the leaders of Yemen and Sudan plan to take to the streets. Tens of thousands have protested in Yemen demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh resign after 32 years, with at least one unemployed person lighting himself on fire. The Yemeni regime has tried to sooth its people by freeing journalists and jailed political activists, reducing income taxes by 50 percent, raising the salaries of military and security officials and introducing reforms including term limits and voter registration for all adults. This has not satisfied the opposition and a “Day of Rage” is set for Thursday.

There have been protests in Sudan since the Jasmine Revolution, mostly by the youth. Student activists are openly calling for the removal of President Omar Bashir and democratic reform. Crowds of hundreds have formed despite the brutality of the security forces, with dozens being arrested. Students demonstrating on campuses are singing songs honoring Egyptians and Tunisians and have been attacked by knife-wielding thugs that belong to Bashir’s party.

Social networking is playing a large role, with one Facebook group named “Youth for Change” reaching 16,000 members. “Our brothers in Tunisia did it and so did our brothers in Egypt. It is about time for us,” it states. The governor of Khartoum has tried to appease his residents by announcing a plan to bring down the price of essential goods, which spiked as subsidies were cut earlier this year. The Sudanese regime has acted more viciously than conciliatory but its opponents are still bravely calling for a challenge to President Bashir on Thursday.

In Egypt, protesters are not accepting President Mubarak’s announcement that he will not run for re-election in September and will remain in office until then. Over one million marched this week demanding his immediate resignation. Protesters have issued a deadline to the army to depose Mubarak by Thursday or they will march onto the presidential palace, the Congress, and state television building the next day. The protestors are calling February 4 “Departure Friday.”

The secular opposition in Syria has planned a “Day of Anger” for Saturday, February 5, but the Muslim Brotherhood is planning to begin on February 4 after prayers. President Bashar Assad reacted to the events in Tunisia and Egypt by stating his commitment to reform, and his government announced a $250 million aid package for families in poverty and a 72 percent increase in heating oil subsidies. He has combined these concessions with the massive deployment of security forces, reducing the bandwidth of the Internet, closing down Internet cafes, and confiscating roof antennas in some places like Aleppo.

According to the Reform Party of Syria, members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have been sent to reinforce the security forces in Damascus, Aleppo and Qamoshli. The regime has ample reason to worry. The RPS has told of disturbances in Aleppo, including an unconfirmed report of a self-immolation by a female student at Aleppo University. Gatherings have been dispersed in Old Damascus and the Yarmouk Camp of Damascus. A statue of Hafez al-Assad has reportedly been beheaded in Latakiyeh and a group of tribes have declared their support for a tribal uprising.

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