Blogging the democratic revolution
Hm, something’s wrong — it’s not quite Yulia. (From Ukraine, Russia, Europe, the US, Oh My!)
Our dearest Stefania is hosting this week’s comprehensive carnival of revolution! Go check it out for a recap of all the latest developments in democracy.
Amid the heaviest fighting since the intifada, the Palestinian government of PM Qureia is coming under ÄfigurativeÅ fire for its inability to deal with parallel military authorities like Hamas. Policeman stormed the parliament building to protest the government’s inability to equip and train them properly to deal with the problem, while legislators themselves voted that…
Francisco Toro, after a (too-)long hiatus, is back to blogging thoughtfully about Venezuela. His new blog has a beautiful new design (although truthfully, the last two were extraordinary, too) and a new format of short posts with pithy original ideas. I don’t always agree with him on everything but I would say I do like…
This past Sunday, 60 Minutes ran an “interview” with Elian Gonzalez, who is now 11 years old. Elian, you recall, was the 6-year old boy who was picked up at sea by two fisherman and taken ashore, where an international custody battle between Fidel Castro and the Miami exile community ensued, leaving bitter and unforgotten…
The weekend’s terror attack on the Indonesian island of Bali was a monstrous atrocity. Does it have revolutionary implications? I think it does, because it’s closely aligned with Indonesia’s brave self-transformation into an authentic democracy in 1999. The terrorists who struck Bali were trying to destroy Indonesia’s fragile democracy – at a sensitive time. With…
One of the biggest triggers to revolution in any country is the concept of ‘rent-seeking.’ It’s a concept that’s largely foreign to us Americans, but perfectly understood by many people in other cultures. It’s the concept of someone exacting unfair payments over others because of some fundamental and resented privilege. If you were in the…
I know… bad excuse for not blogging, but I suddenly came down with fever. It’s killing me, and not so softly. Blogging resumes tomorrow, with plenty on Palestine, Belarus, and political developments elsewhere. Stay tuned!
It’s the weekend, and you know what that means. No posting until Monday! I’ll be using the time to work on the Walk For Democracy here in Boston (and let me know if you want to join in), as well as getting other work done. Have a nice weekend!