Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain... who is next?

he still stands

I won't pretend to be an expert on the situation, but there seems to be a trend here. The dictators in these three (Muslim) countries have all been recently overthrown, and Iran in on alert and not letting anyone organize publicly.

THIS is how democracy is won... not through a Western power (i.e. USA) overthrowing a regime... it is the PEOPLE'S responsibility.

Another fun fact... the US has supported (financially AND militarily) Egypt and Bahrain for decades while a monarchy is in power that gives few rights to people, especially if you're not a male/Muslim. So, is the US really interested in supporting/spreading democracy, or are they only interested in maintaining control of the country through friendly dictators? (this is a rhetorical question, btw)

So, what happens if Iran or Pakistan is the next country to follow suit? Somehow I doubt we see a freedom-loving democracy in those countries... and what happens if the fundamentalist Muslims take over Pakistan... a country with 80 or so nuclear weapons?

nuffingman

There's been protests in Iran and also Libya (Gaddafi is the longest existing dictator). The protesters are brave to mess with him as Libya has a ruthless security service. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

With a bit of luck the Africans can get rid of their corrupt dictators as well.

he still stands

nuffingman wrote:

There's been protests in Iran and also Libya (Gaddafi is the longest existing dictator). The protesters are brave to mess with him as Libya has a ruthless security service. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

With a bit of luck the Africans can get rid of their corrupt dictators as well.

I have to think that if the US wasn't already in Afghanistan, Iraq and 30 other countries permanently AND if Bush was in the White House... we might be inclined to "defend" these countries against the "terrorists" who are rising up against their government.

In the 80s, Reagan et al called these people "communists" instead of "terrorists" but that's basically the same situation.

Man... can you imagine if fucking McCain/Palin were in the WH? We'd definitely be in Egypt and possibly other countries killing civilians.

haffajappa

he still stands wrote:

nuffingman wrote:

There's been protests in Iran and also Libya (Gaddafi is the longest existing dictator). The protesters are brave to mess with him as Libya has a ruthless security service. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

With a bit of luck the Africans can get rid of their corrupt dictators as well.

I have to think that if the US wasn't already in Afghanistan, Iraq and 30 other countries permanently AND if Bush was in the White House... we might be inclined to "defend" these countries against the "terrorists" who are rising up against their government.

In the 80s, Reagan et al called these people "communists" instead of "terrorists" but that's basically the same situation.

Man... can you imagine if fucking McCain/Palin were in the WH? We'd definitely be in Egypt and possibly other countries killing civilians.

Despite the very inspiring idea of all that's happening, my first thought was that leaving democracy up to the people is a good idea, but in standing up to their dictators, lives will surely be lost - even for a good cause... and then i realised, foreign occupation in many of these countries results in a lot more life lost for the sake of nothing getting done.

power to the people!

Release_Me

he still stands wrote:

I won't pretend to be an expert on the situation, but there seems to be a trend here. The dictators in these three (Muslim) countries have all been recently overthrown, and Iran in on alert and not letting anyone organize publicly.

THIS is how democracy is won... not through a Western power (i.e. USA) overthrowing a regime... it is the PEOPLE'S responsibility.

Another fun fact... the US has supported (financially AND militarily) Egypt and Bahrain for decades while a monarchy is in power that gives few rights to people, especially if you're not a male/Muslim. So, is the US really interested in supporting/spreading democracy, or are they only interested in maintaining control of the country through friendly dictators? (this is a rhetorical question, btw)

So, what happens if Iran or Pakistan is the next country to follow suit? Somehow I doubt we see a freedom-loving democracy in those countries... and what happens if the fundamentalist Muslims take over Pakistan... a country with 80 or so nuclear weapons?

Being a Pakistani, I can understand the concerns of people who are not familiar with the ground realities in my country. They rely on the media for their information, which isn't always a valid source.
First off, I'd like to tell you that we recently joined the '100 club' and increased our nuclear weapons to 110 Not that it's relevant, but I couldn't resist the urge to make that correction. We gained independence back in 1947 and in the 63 odd years since, we've had both democratic governments and army dictatorships. Fact is, neither has been better than the other. Both had ample time to do something for the country but they just ended up either looting the nation's wealth, or taking decisions that were in the best interests of their respective governments, rather than their people. Quite frankly, the general public is fed up of all the politicians, their parties and their hollow manifestos. They're also fed up of the army taking control and doing just as badly as the so-called democratic parties. 99% of the population is Muslim, yet a VERY small minority has ever supported the religious parties in elections. They just don't trust them to run the country effectively. People want someone who can provide them with their basic needs like food, water, electricity, education, etc. The economy is in a sorry state and no one thinks that the religious parties coming into power is going to bring any positive change to their lives. In an ideal world, the people of this country would love to see a government that makes laws in accordance with Islam and runs the affairs of the country in a democratic and transparent manner, which is what Islam encourages as well. Islam and democracy are not mutually exclusive, but the 'freedom loving democracy' that the West champions is different from the Islamic concept of democracy. That's a whole new discussion though, but suffice to say that 'fundamentalist Muslims taking over Pakistan' will not happen, unless of course the US supports them, which I don't see happening. People want a government that will bring a positive change in their lives, improve the infrastructure of the country and give them hope for the future. I don't see anyone capable of doing these things in the current lot of politicians though, each of the major political parties has had multiple terms in office and failed to deliver, everytime.

What's happening in Egypt is an insipiration to us, but I don't think we are in a collective state of mind to bring about a revolution in this country, yet. God knows we need one, but I don't think it's going to happen in the near future. I hope I'm wrong. Also, whatever the people of Egypt decide for themselves should be accepted by the whole world and no one, including the US, should have the right to tell them how they should govern themselves. If they want an "Islamic government", so be it. The term itself is misleading, because in a country of overwhelming Muslim majority, any government that is blatantly "un-Islamic" will simply not work. My best wishes for the people of Egypt, and Tunisia and Bahrain for that matter.

IrishGuy

he still stands wrote:

I won't pretend to be an expert on the situation, but there seems to be a trend here. The dictators in these three (Muslim) countries have all been recently overthrown,

Bahrain hasn't been overthrown! (yet?)

Digital Twilight

Nice post Release_Me

Overthrowing the dictators / corrupt government is only half the battle. Some might say the easy part. Making sure someone who isn't corrupt and who will serve the people in their best interest is the hard bit.

nuffingman

Thousands have joined a protest rally in Libya, police open fire on protesters in Bahrain and a grenade thrown at anti-government protesters in The Yemen. Which country next? It will be interesting to see how this part of the world looks in a years time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/