I'm no expert on the middle east or north Africa. The Arab spring confuses me.
We know the US was funding unrest in Syria.
We know CIA was in LIbya.
Yet we also know that those nations do not have elected leaders. Of course, elected leaders in the US don't represent the people. They represent the corporations while hiding behind the thin veil of democratic process.
Libya has the highest standards of living in all of Africa by a number of measures. It's people were not doing badly. But there's all that oil AND water there.
Syria has been a relatively stable nation. But, with its close alliance with Iran, it is a thorn in the side of Israel. When I see John McCain, the
I know some who are thrilled that the LIbyans are fighting for freedom. But others questio n whether the people of LIbya needed saving.
We look at Egypt and see a nation that is now run by its military. Is that a better situation?
In the US democracy is a shill. Politicians are elected because of corporate money and third party advertising. They work for the corporations and the most wealthy. Is democracy still working in the US? Is the word Democracy being used as a cover for neoliberal expansionism and application of what Naomi Klein has described as the shock doctrine?
It would be wonderful if Facebook and twitter and youtube could be used to organize and coordinate successful revolutions. They clearly play a role. But no nation is safe from the influence of third parties that have interests in their assets, resources and role in regional power balances. Those interests include the US CIA, WTO, WB, NATO, European Union, multinational corporations... to name a few.
I'm not sure if a nascent democratic uprising can even exist in these times without being tainted by the above influences.
What do you think?
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