Thread: Would the Fire of Revolution Spread Beyond the Arab World?

After the fire of people revolution toppled the despotic ruler in Tunisia, this fire quickly spread to Egypt. After 18 days of popular street protests, the unthinkable happened when the Arab strongman Mubarak had to step down.

Now the fire is raging strong in Algeria, Yemen, and Sudan, and growing strong in a number of other Arab countries around the Middle East and N Africa.

The Internet social media is probably the reason why the fire can spread so fast.

Even some other countries are feeling the heat, not only those with despotic regimes, even elected ones who abuse their power.

Would the fire get hot beyond the Arab world ?

The same had been said when The Philippines led a bloodless revolt in 1986. Though this have lead to a string of similarly-inspired protests, biggest of which may have been the 1989 Tiannanmen Square protest, which sadly ended in disaster, the burning flame have cooled down anyhow. The same could be said of many other protests that had managed to capture the world audience.

Having said these things, to say that Egypt would fuel revolution to the rest of the Arab world? It could or it could not. We may have an Arab Union in the future as a result of these protests, for all we know. But for me, its too early to say for now.

The flames are rare, but the fire smoulders just below the surface all over the world just waiting for the band to strike up A Las Barricadas:
Alza la bandera revolucionaria
que del triunfo sin cesar nos lleva en pos.

Isn't the Muslim Brotherhood significant players and winners behind the toppling of the military dictatorship in Egypt?


I'm not sure destabilization of governments is always good. A dictatorship is not always the worse thing, depending on the society and where they are at the moment.


Democracy in Brazil contributes to its inequality in my opinion. It's not a pure democracy (neither is the U.S.). Those from rich families attend public universities for free. The poor are functionally illiterate and few of them ever go on to high school let alone graduate high school. It's "democracy" that allows this because you want people less informed. I mean... if I was a slobbering rich jack__ in Venezuela I would probably hate Chavez too.


But Chavez might be good - to an extent - for Venezuela in its chapter but he would not be good for the U.S. given its level of development and better educated population. However, even in the U.S. we are subject to brainwashing and misinformation.


In general I'd rather see revolutions in Brazil and the Western World that don't destabilize governments but perhaps effect policy changes. Maybe.

The Muslim Brotherhood had not come forward until the 3rd day. They are not taking a leading role.

Islam and religions are not the protesters' main concern. It is poverty, unemployment, corruption, and abuse of power. Both in Tunisia and in Egypt.

This is a new revolution phenomenon. As I said, the internet social media help to rally them, spreading the information very fast. When this was shut off, they use the mobile phones.

This happens to start from an Arab country. It spreads in the Arab world as there are too many despotic rulers. There is nothing very special to confine this to the Arab world. It can spread to others countries.

As a kid, I thought that all countries had democracy and I found it confusing when communist countries, led by despots, had names like "Democratic Republic of ___________". When I was in college, a history teacher told me of despots "He moght be an S.O.B., but he's our S.O.B."

After Iraq fell, after decades under Hussein, I saw that some countries are only held together by mortal threat as some countries are merely uneducated mobs-and no, I'm not inferring that Egypt is one of them.

There is a looming civil war in China as the growing middle class there is chafing under a military dictatorship. At some point, hard to tell when, it will happen.

There are always those who consider the politics, theorise, and want change. The majority of the population, however, is usually too tied up with their day to day living. When day to day living becomes hard the majority start looking round to the thinkers to lead them to a better place.
I think those revolutions have more to do with the rising price of basic commodities than political ideas, repressive regimes can operate for years if the poor still have bread, after all it is only the "troublemakers" who get themselves beaten and imprisoned, keep your head down, pay your taxes and get on with your own life and you probably get left alone.

To answer the Original Post - in a word, no. Give an Arab a bunch of rocks to throw, and he's happy. Westerners don't do this. It's an Arab thing.

Westerners don't do this? Then what was it that happened in Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala; nations whose dictators had the support of the U.S.? What was all that noise coming from Chile some years back? What about Spain? France? England?

And the motive is the same everywhere, through all times - the price of bread. The answer from the dictator is the same - 'Let them eat cake'.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

To answer the Original Post - in a word, no. Give an Arab a bunch of rocks to throw, and he's happy. Westerners don't do this. It's an Arab thing.

Have you not seen what's been happening in London and Paris recently? Protests can escalate if there's sufficient reason and growing unemployment can fuel that.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

To answer the Original Post - in a word, no. Give an Arab a bunch of rocks to throw, and he's happy. Westerners don't do this. It's an Arab thing.

Are you really that ignorant of the ways of the world, or are you trying to wind us up?

It isn't only recently Baron, I remember Red Lion Square during the Vietnam war

You missed out Japan garza, Japanese students are awesome, masked, helmeted and half of them bring baseball bats as well.

I thought of Japan as well as China, but the comment was about 'Westerners'.

I suppose it's necessary to define what Edna means by "westerners".

I have not been responding to many comments as I am busy with following the news. Here is an article about how revolts in Egypt are spreading across the the Middle East.

Arrests and deaths as Egypt protest spreads across Middle East

Iranians defy government ban to join rally in Tehran, with demonstrations and street clashes in Bahrain and Yemen.

Guardian 14 Feb, Egypt's uprising has sent powerful shockwaves across the Middle East , with two deaths reported in street clashes in Iran and Bahrain and violent demonstrations in Yemen, as further protests and strikes erupted across Egypt. ...

Bahrain may not be able to hold. It is a small country in the Persian Gulf. But the US 5th fleet is based there. Physically it is linked to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.