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Arab Uprising - Now What?
Revolutions in Tunisia, then Egypt, began with discontent over rising food prices.
Date: 2/13/2011 12:36:54 PM ( 28 mon ) ... viewed 1196 times Arab Uprising - Now What?
We cannot forget that it was, partly or mostly, rising food prices that sparked the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.
If the economy of Egypt had been stronger on it's own, where the majority has enough to eat and with just a glimmer of opportunity to have more, this would not have happened.
Where people have enough food in their bellies, they don't upset the apple cart.
While some people are optimistically looking forward to "free and fair" elections in Egypt and a shining new democracy emerging there, and in other dictatorships around the world, the reality is that economic based discontent is growing.
Everywhere.
Food prices are rising at a rate of 15% to 20% per year now. Everywhere. Just a decade ago food prices were going up at the same rate as the inflation in the economy, but in the past decade food prices have been going up at double and triple the rate of inflation.
Of course, there are other factors that contributed to the uprisings and overturning of governments in Tunisia and Egypt.
One of the factors causing increasing discontent everywhere is the disparity between rich and poor. This isn't nearly as big a factor as rising food prices are for inspiring revolution, but it is becoming a bigger issue as people's awareness of the issue grows. And, as the disparity grows - 95% of the world's wealth is in the hands of just 5% of the world's people; the top 1% has more wealth than the bottom 50%, and so on. Outrageous!!
Disparity breeds discontent. For all those who actually contribute to the success of our nations, should they all share in that success with SOME degree of equitable proportion? Or is "my dollar to your million" fair enough? Where working people are impoverished, there is the seeds of revolution.
Corruption also enrages citizens - again, it is the fact that the idea of "we as a nation" is sullied by those in power taking what they can instead of looking out for the majority of the people.
Wealth disparity and corruption exists in EVERY nation on earth. Some nations appear to be very "clean", such as Canada, but corruption exists there in the form of corporate influence over government... look at Alberta where the people get almost nothing from the Tar Sands operations, because the governments of Premier Klien, then Stelmach, gave the oil companies involved every tax and royalty break possible. {Norway manages to put 80% of the profits from oil in public coffers; Albertans get less than 3%}
Even some Albertans are finding that the rising food prices are squeezing their budgets, many of them are struggling financially.
As climate change due to global warming takes hold of the planet, food will become increasingly difficult to produce, and food prices will rise even faster than they are now. At an increase of 30% per year, food will be out of the range of most people on earth within 5 years {150% more over 5 years}. That will happen before 2020, maybe before 2015.
Revolution won't solve this.
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