Thanks to Reuters and the Atlantic for the photo of protesters in Yemen
My kin has laid out some good old fashioned cynicism about the Arab spring uprisings.
People everywhere hoped that the Arabs would overthrow their dictators and enjoy democracy, political freedom, and economic opportunity.
That would have been nice. But instead what has happened is slaughter. The rulers of Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain decided that the revolutions could be defeated by mass murder and indiscriminate torture, and, so far, that tactic has been 100% successful. Nothing good has come of it. The Mideast is more unstable, Israel is more paranoid and aggressive than ever, Arab demonstrators have been shot down by the thousands, and no one in the entire region is yet enjoying any increase in democracy, political freedom, or economic opportunity.
via Sad But True: The “Arab Spring” Is A Pipe Dream « Talkin’ Blues About The News.
Zing! Can’t disagree with any of that! It’s a good argument, and important to make in this time, where our impulse to action (read helicopter gunships in Libya) obscures reflection.
Life of refinement 