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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Whose "Spring" Is This?

So far, the uprisings in the Arab and Moslem world have been most advanced in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Tunisia and Egypt have at least turned out the visible rulers of the ruling class (we shall see if the ruling classes hang on with a different ruler in place under different rules that still rig the game for their own benefit) while in Libya, rebels have captured a large chunk of the country.

Elsewhere, unrest has shaken the governments of Arab states and even Iran, but nothing has approached what has happened in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. So I have to ask, is this an Arab trend, a Moslem trend, or just a North African trend? Or will a non-Moslem autocrat feel the same pressure and expand this to a trend against autocracy in general (and no, Wisconsin doesn't count despite some silly comparisons to that effect)?

It is too soon to tell, I suppose.