individual,

Humans are humans are humans. Yes, I realise that we cossetted flowers in the West have no particular reason to revolt. We have stable government, access to lots of goodies and our wars are all fought in other people's countries.

I wonder how stable our society would be if we'd been long subject to a dictator regime like Hosni Mubarak's - one that was supported and propped up by two of the West's favoured institutions, the World Bank and the IMF. Egyptians were privatised and "structurally adjusted" to within an inch of their lives, all of which lined the pockets of the ruling elite and Western corporations, yet further impoverished the general population.

People don't rise up for nothing, you pair of clods - why don't you and runner undertake a bit of research.

http://anilnetto.com/corporate-led-globalisation/imfworld-bank/egypt-followed-imfworld-bank-ideas/

Otokonoko

So you think democracy has improved things in Iraq. I thought you and Poirot were opposed to this 'illegal war'. I take it you also endorse the Muslim brotherhood seen they will be the democrtically elected Government. It is the hypocrisy of the left that use to take my breath away however I am now use to it.

runner,

The delivery of "democracy" to Iraq by the U.S. and its merry band of acolytes was undertaken as with false altruism in pursuit of influence and resources.

"Shock and Awe'....yep, that's the way to set a country up for societal stability. Apply sanctions for over a decade, then unleash an Armageddon-style bombardment followed by an occupation. Destroy every kind of critical infrastructure, slaughter and traumatise thousands upon thousands of inhabitants - and then stand back and shake you head amidst the vacuum created and the squabbles that erupt to fill it.

I wonder why "democracy" couldn't just be rolled out like some Persian carpet over the bones of those who perished for the cause of U.S. and Western imperialism?

Dear Indy,

We are all aware of the fact that over the past
decades religious fervour has erupted in the
Islamic world in general and in the Middle
East in particular and the trends in Islamic
societies are potentially of global importance.
Islam is one of the world's major religions.
It claims the allegiance of a fifth of the entire
human population.

Most Muslims are desperately poor, for their
nations' oil wealth has often been unequally shared,
creating an elite whose extravagant lifestyle
arouses deep resentment in the populace.

The opposition
to the dictatorial regime in Egypt has arisen out os
specific social and cultural conditions that hopefully
will influence the subsequent course of social
change in that country for the better. We can only
hope.

Being ruled by a dictator that kills members of the other tribe, and warfare between tribes are two different situations.

Contrary to what the puff piece from Poirot might have you believe.
The root problem with Egypt is TOO MANY PEOPLE.

In earlier times Egypt was the bread basket of the Mediterranean.
But with 80 million people, it is endanger of becoming a basket case:
http://www.google.com.au/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&met_y=sp_pop_totl&idim=country:EGY&dl=en&hl=en&q=graph+egyptian+population

And contrary to the glib claim that "Mubarak caused it".
Mubarak for all his faults did much to subsidize food for the poor.
It is no mere coincidence that the recent uprising followed close on the heals of food price rises.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=90363