Arab Spring

[Brdavs]

How can the general intelligent discusion forum have topics about fluoridation, trips to mars, inteligent life, chem trails etc. etc. and NOT about the talk of the planet this last month?

Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, Libya, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Marocco.

Protests, calls for end of dictatorships, clashes... (confirmed) body count upto now consists of nearly 700 protestors & 2 regiemes.


Thougts? Comments? Hopes? Fears?



I find it rather sad how we (as in the west) have been exposed as hypocrtitical. Allways advocating democarcy and freedome yet supporting dozens of dictators in the region. Now when the people took to the streets and achieved in most cases all we can muster is "calls to restraint". I guess its something thoe, we started off with "that dictator is not a dictator and the people are not ready for a democracy" heh...

Only in the case of Iran has the response been nearly appropriate. Trouble is the next day protests started in Bahrain and Clinton immediatly went back to being tight lipped. Afterall, Bahrains particular dictatorship allows for the 5th fleet to be stationed in a strategicaly important location lol.
So friggin sad/funny to look at our governments. Surprised, clueless, with their policies exposed.


Now that all the "splender" of decades of dodgy politics is being thrust into the limelight, how should we (western public) feel about the situation? Should we not recognise that what we`ve been doing all these years was wrong? Feel uneasy at footage of clampdowsn on protesters using western made armaments and western training?

At the end of the day, is not the fact that we`ve supported and dealt with these autocratic regiemes arguably a giant generator of resentment that enables extremism to fourish (as it is the only "alternative" able to withstand the system) that infact breeds terorism we so fear?

[[KMA]Avenger]

How can the general intelligent discusion forum have topics about fluoridation, trips to mars, inteligent life, chem trails etc. etc. and NOT about the talk of the planet this last month?

I was going to start a thread about this ever since the protests started in Egypt because i had been following what was going on and that other Arab nations in a similar position to Egypt's were watching closely. It was only a matter of time before other Arab nations living under a dictatorship themselves would also start protesting, but i decided to wait for someone else to post the subject


Anyways, i'm hoping this will kick off right across the Arab world and spread into Spain, Portugal, Italy and right into the heart of the EU...a domino affect if you please...NOW THAT would cool!


I'm also praying that the Muslim extremist groups don't get into power in any of these countries because they are on record as having been trained by MI6 and we'll be right back where we started.

[MEZZANINE]

No real surprises on Western responses, Western national leaders are far more concerned with financial market fluctuation, and how events will effect prices on the highstreet and donations to their political parties ( local and short term popularity to remain in power ) than the freedom of foreigners.

Basically if a dictatorship buys stuff off us and lets us move our military across their airspace / national waters it get the thumbs up and no one wants to rock the boat.