Blogging the democratic revolution
Every revolution is the same quest for the freedom and democracy engraved on every human heart. But each one is unique, too, with different resistance tactics tailored to existing conditions with local ingenuity. In Zimbabwe, people are up against an unusually vile tyrant, one who uses food as a weapon, Robert Mugabe. Since this thug shoots demonstrators, Zimbabweans are actively, if furtively conducting wallpaper-pasted flyer raids around public places, and dumping piles of freebie condoms with the struggle’s name on it. It’s hit-and-run guerrilla stuff to get the word out – in vast quantity. In addition, there is an “election”…
Laurence over at Registan notes that both the new and old legislatures are claiming legitimacy. In the parliament building, members of the newly restored legislature – lawmakers who served before disputed February and March elections that led to the protests that brought down the government – met in one room, while politicians elected in the recent voting gathered in another. The Supreme Court has invalidated the recent elections, which the opposition said was marred by fraud. But the winners challenged the authority of the restored parliament. ééOur opinion is that we should be the legitimate lawmakers, because the people have…
Venezuelans are barraged daily with exhortations about the wonderful state of Cuba’s progress. One blogger, Daniel in Yaracuy, notes the Tortugas refugees, and thinks there must be another story. What a sad thing to have to contemplate that from Venezuela, which is rapidly heading down that Cuban path.
How’d I miss this? Here is a terrific Bolivian blog from a Santa Cruz perspective called Blog de Bolivia by Alvaro Piaggio, written with a fierce eye on Bolivia’s democracy struggle, in the context of other democracy struggles around the world today. Santa Cruz, Bolivia is the market-oriented, free-trading, libertarian half of the country, brimming with industrious immigrants, with a cold view of the communism preached by coca-grower Evo Morales. Alvaro’s blog is in Spanish but if you can read it, the perspective is crisp and fresh, not what we are used to getting from the jaded mainstream media.
Babalu blog has a tremendous scoop on a unreported story of great interest to anyone who’s keeping an eye on Cuba. Fourteen Cuban refugees reached Dry Tortuga in a rickety boat and with it won their right to stay in the U.S. The arduous journey and the determination of the Cubans is chronicled – with pictures – here. Val also has an moving editorial about how the exclusive story was obtained. The blogosphere is rapidly becoming the most important place for chronicling the eventual collapse of the communist regime of Cuba. The significance is historic.
We all know from reading Barcepundit that there is a lot of nonsense going on in Spain. But to a Venezuelan observer, it doesn’t quite look that way. In an indication of how low dictator Hugo Chavez has taken Venezuela, blogger Miguel Octavio notes interesting comparisons between the two states. In terms of progress, they seem to have switched positions, with Spain decisively moving upward and Venezuela moving downward. It wasn’t always that way. In fact, it wasn’t even that way within most of our lifetimes. There are reasons why. Read the whole thing here.
This is incredibly encouraging. From the place that just released detained bloggers, the majority Shiite protested against the government demanding reform! MANAMA (Reuters) – Tens of thousands have marched in one of Bahrain’s largest opposition demonstrations to demand democratic reforms in the pro-Western Gulf Arab state. Friday’s peaceful march, called by the Shi’ite-led opposition, follows unsuccessful talks with the government on constitutional reforms to give greater powers to parliament’s elected assembly, which is on an equal footing with a state-appointed chamber. Bahrain, the Gulf’s banking hub and home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has introduced some reforms, but the…
I wrote about the unauthorized opposition rally yesterday. I don’t think I need to say it, but Lukashenko scares the jeepers out of me. Why? He has absolutely no reservations about beating down each and every person who stands up against him . . . These guys don’t even care that they were taking down good looking girls either. Andy thinks that the presidential election in September 2006 will be the final offense that brings people out en masse. I agree, I just hope he goes down sooner.
I hate this, because I’m having to write this headline every few days now. The second went off on Tuesday and the first a week ago Saturday. This latest one occurred just today, the third in a string of Syrian intimidation. March 26 (Bloomberg) — A car bomb explosion rocked a Christian quarter in east Beirut Saturday night, killing two Indian nationals and injuring eight people, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the official Lebanese news agency ANI. This explosion, which occurred around 9:30 p.m. local time, was heard throughout the Lebanese capital, shaking buildings on hills to the east, AFP said.…
Nearly two weeks ago after China passed its anti-secession law, Taiwan called on its population to protest en masse today. It is being called the 326 protest, and it hoping to pull over one million people. It is early in Taiwan right now, but over the past week, people have already started voicing out their discontent with China. One sign of this were 400 cab drivers lining up in an aerial view that spells “peace”. Some 400 drivers line up their taxis to form the word ???????peace??????? during a protest denouncing Beijing????????s recent approving an anti-secession law aimed at Taiwan…
Having been so involved with the events in Lebanon, I was hoping to do my own analysis of the UN findings on the Hariri assassination. But due to real life work and school starting back up next week (not to mention I’m preparing to cover the big protests in Taiwan all night…) it’s going to be a bit tough. However, rest assured! USMC_Vet has a complete, thorough analysis of the document and the reactions to it. In fact, let me give you some Cliff Notes: 1. Document released detailing Syrian and Lebanese government coverup. 2. They deny it. 3. Call…
Gary Metz at Regime Change Iran is reporting huge protests against the mullahs under the guise of a soccer victory. He notes that while this is certainly not the event, as soccer games have been used as an excuse to protest before, it is certainly another step in the right direction. He also notes that, because of traffic jams, the security apparatus can’t seem to get to the protestors. That’s good.
Will is discussing the marketing of the revolution over at his blog. I noted in his comments that the revolution in Kyrgyzstan has had many names thus far — tulip, pink, lemon — and that using up so many good names on one revolution will make it harder to name the ones that follow. He notes that the other revolutions have taken up multiple names, a true travesty! So what do we do? Turn to PAC-MAN for ideas. Check out this both humorous and thoughtful piece.
A few days ago, the opposition in Belarus submitted a request to hold a large really. It was denied. The Minsk city administration has rejected a request by opposition politician Andrey Klimaw to stage a downtown protest rally on 25 March, Belapan News reported on 22 March. Klimaw says he intended to assemble up to 100,000 people to protest Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s intention to run for a third presidential term. Klimaw told Belapan he is not surprised by the refusal, although the explanation baffles him. The city government told him that the location where he intended to hold the rally, Kastrychnitskaya…
I love it when I’m emailed so I don’t have to look! Nathan brings to us an exclusive ground report straight from Bishkek. This person was there from beginning to end and writes an account of the whole thing. Oh, and one more thing. . . This is the second picture of this girl. She’s just everywhere! UPDATE: Nathan lets me know that this is a REAL babe of politics. You????????re seeing a lot of this woman because she????????s a former parliamentary deputy and a journalist. Her name is Oksana Malevannaya. And while her hair does leave something to be…
It’s been a big day in Kyrgyzstan. While the protests have been steadily growing over the past month or so, today was clearly a marker event. Even from the beginning of this website, I have always referred visitors to Nathan’s Registan.net, where he keeps up on all issues Central Asia. He has always been the guy to go to for everything you needed to know about the Tulip Revolution. I certainly wouldn’t know much about Central Asia if it weren’t for him and the news/analysis he brings to the table. I am certainly not as knowledgeable as him, but I…
With elections next year, the U.S. faces the possibility that its next door neighbor, Mexico, may elect a Saguaro Chavez – bringing a far-left regime like Hugo Chavez’s of Venezuela right to our border. In which case, we will empathize more than ever with Colombia, but might not have much time for it. Because given the scope of already existing problems with Mexico (the border, the aliens, the drugs, the weak Mexican economy, the peso), their multiplication with a far-left regime whose leading candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a free-spending mayor of Mexico City, is almost too much to think…
Ever wondered what makes the sinews of one the world’s foremost enemies of freedom move? It’s money of course, $500,000 of it in oil-rich Venezuela’s case, but how it happens is what’s most in need of some daylight. Alek Boyd at VCrisis has gotten hold of new Freedom of Information Act documents on the Venezuela Information Office, the propaganda arm of Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. He has a 31-page file filled out by the VIO in Washington itself, detailing the people it met, the ways it preoccupied itself, and the reporters it courted and harassed. It’s pretty creepy reading –…
Editor Thomas Lifson at American Thinker points out that Herbert Meyer, a former Reagan administration intelligence official, has made some impressive forecasts about where to spot the next revolution, in an interview on Larry Kudlow’s show. He discussed his essay on the nature of revolutions, and told Kudlow, days ago, that Kyrgyzstan was next. He also had interesting observations about coming revolutions to watch for.
Kyrgyz President Akayev has reportedly fled to Russia after protesters stormed the presidential compound: One key opposition figure, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was at the scene, and state TV appeared to be in opposition hands ???????? underscoring the impression that the hitherto fragmented opposition was consolidating control. Another leading opposition figure was said to have been freed from prison. Thick plumes of black smoke rose from two burning cars, apparently belonging to government officials, near the government headquarters several hours after the takeover. It was unclear how the cars were set ablaze. The tumultuous scene was the culmination of the first major…
Besides the basic human drive for freedom that is comparable in each revolution, each has had a flower and each set of protestors has given them to the security forces. Even in the recent Tulip Revolution! See what I mean: Kyrgyzstan Another one courtesy of The Emirates Economist: Lebanon Ukraine Those riot police kind of lose their ferocity after receiving bouquets from pretty revolution babes!
Remember those pictures of Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez hugging Mullah Mohamad Khatami of Iran, and the two of them waving their fists from the banks of the Orinoco? To much fanfare, the pair of them jointly opened a tractor factory in Ciudad Bolivar to cement their alliance. Then they announced the dawn of a new era of friendship and cooperation between the two anti-American tyrannies. Ten days later, the new factory has gone on strike. Miguel has the scoop here.
More good investigative work on the Hugo Chavez financial and propaganda networks from Alek Boyd here. It’s interesting reading.
I knew the nicey-nice between President Uribe of Colombia and dictator Hugo Chavez of Venezuela was fake. The spat they had over Colombian bounty hunters snatching FARC terrorists from Venezuelan streets was just a prelude. Today, a new incident happened. Venezuelan troops, seeking ‘gas smugglers,’ actually crossed the border into Colombia and occupied a little Colombian village for several hours, abusing the villagers. This is no bounty hunter incident, this is a bona fide military invasion. And probably a practice run for a real invasion, because Colombia is a country that Hugo Chavez, along with Fidel Castro, has long had…