The revolutions of 2011

[James Dahl]

I've put my mapmaking skills towards recording this momentous moment in history.

[Voltage]

Looks like a Western white man's bias coupled in with a somewhat steady understanding of Eastern Africa.

[Voltage]

How is Iran a dictatorship while Russia is a farcical democracy? Last I heard Iranians actually choose their leaders and under Khatami was at least a flawed democracy.

And after seeing what democracy is in America, I doubt it lives up to its ideals. In the "dictatorships" of third world, the military usurps power from the masses and in the "democracies" of the West, the corporate CEO does.

[kadarre]

America itself is Flawed Democracy.

[Monsieur]

Looks like a Western white man's bias coupled in with a somewhat steady understanding of Eastern Africa.

Obviously somebody who works for the Eastern African department of the CIA/FBI

[Voltage]

America itself is Flawed Democracy.

I live here and see it everyday. it is worse than a flawed democracy. I have never seen such ignorance of the voting masses, such misinformation peddled with an honest face, such bending money can do...I mean just because you go into a booth and check next to a name...is that what democracy is? That is like saying going to school is being there for attendance.

I will see democracy when it is criminal to peddle misinformation willfully to the public, when money is removed from elections (public financing), when the public is actually aware of what they are voting on, and when candidates are held accountable by the law in fighting for what they promised.

[IRONm@N]

Somalia was the first to start the revolution 1991 then it turned into a civil-war, then Islamic Courts bring it back in 2006 against Ethiopia and Warlord puppets. so I think you should put Somalia as a revolution in progress, since they are no tribal wars, but more like TFG vs Shabaab.

[Oxidant]

I see a lot more governments being overthrown by their people. Rising food prices, unemployment, corruption and brutality is a prefect cocktail for a revolution

[gurey25]

complacency.. the mubarak regime took the egyptians for granted.

do you guys know that the scale of the 1977 protests was bigger than this one..
people literaly went mad and charged tanks on the street..

the main driver for those protests, the economy, especially the price of bread..


Sadat survived becuase he had the respect of the people...
mubarak an zero respect to start with..

mubarak forgot the main lessons of dictatorship 101..
keep the people fed and entertained(distracted) and they will not revolt.

The egyptians are generally docile politically, and apathetic towards dictatorship...

but people much more passive than the egyptians, the russian peasants and chinese peasants had the worlds greatest and bloodiest revolutions, why becuase they were starving and freezing to death.

[ToughGong]

America itself is Flawed Democracy.

Damn straight

[James Dahl]

All democracies are flawed, by "Flawed Democracy" I mean that the democratic process is imperfect in implementing real democratic change.

Iran is a dictatorship because it is impossible to effect real change in Iran through the democratic process, because the Mullahs are unelected and have all real power.

Russia is a farcical democracy as the system IS built that it is possible to enact real change through the democratic process, but the deck is so stacked in favor of United Russia that the democratic process is a farce.

Say what you will about the US political system, but elections are competitive, free and fair and has a direct impact on real power.

For most of the countries I used "Democracy Index 2010"
http://graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy_I ... 10_web.pdf

Though I interpreted their data differently than they did a bit.

[djibsomali]

JAMES DAHL;
YOU ARE FUC5KING FARCICAL fuck face fool.

The reason i am bursting of insults is your stupid old asshole is trying to pass IRAN AS A DICTATORSHIP!!
iran a dictatorship??? and usa where bush steal election from algore as democratic???

get out of town !!!!

[kadarre]

when the public is actually aware of what they are voting on, and when candidates are held accountable by the law in fighting for what they promised.

Politicians in the UK are never taken seriously. students have been lied to. We are now facing possible debts of 50 000 pounds before we graduate.

[Murax]

complacency.. the mubarak regime took the egyptians for granted.

do you guys know that the scale of the 1977 protests was bigger than this one..
people literaly went mad and charged tanks on the street..

the main driver for those protests, the economy, especially the price of bread..


Sadat survived becuase he had the respect of the people...
mubarak an zero respect to start with..

mubarak forgot the main lessons of dictatorship 101..
keep the people fed and entertained(distracted) and they will not revolt.

The egyptians are generally docile politically, and apathetic towards dictatorship...

but people much more passive than the egyptians, the russian peasants and chinese peasants had the worlds greatest and bloodiest revolutions, why becuase they were starving and freezing to death.

True. When people get hungry to a certain point they don't care anymore. They're thinking I'm either gonna die of starvation or by this tank so screw it. To be honest though to keep Egypt well fed is hard no matter what. The Country really doesn't have a whole lot of recourses and is really dependent on US Aid. They have a huge population, and to provide oppritunities for all of them is gonna be tough.

[kadarre]

40% of the population is struggling. Also if you have a huge gap between the poor and the rich.