The day part of the Internet died: Egypt goes dark

[Whoha]

This anarchy is only supposed to last one turn, right?

They didn't build the statue of liberty, and have 2 more turns of anarchy.

[Whoha]

Our strongman in Venezuela has convinced me, we clearly need to back our man here.

CARACAS, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Venezuela's firebrand leader Hugo Chavez accused the United States on Sunday of a "shameful" role in the Egyptian crisis and of hypocrisy for supporting, then abandoning strongmen round the world.

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFN3014966520110130

[Heraclitus]

The whole idea that the riots across the Middle East are about democracy are naive, the real cause is the spike of commodity prices.

This is about poor people starting to feel hunger and anger.

And Egypt is the perfect example of this because of the horrible pseudomalthusian situation its in because of demographic momentum. The population of Egypt is now approaching 84 million, having doubled in the last third of a century. The latest UN population projection is that Egypt will hit 130 million by 2050. I'm certain the population won't reach this figure one way or another.

[Wezil]

The whole idea that the riots across the Middle East are about democracy are naive, the real cause is the spike of commodity prices.

That may be the cause but self-determination is seen by the protesters as the solution.

[giblets]

The whole idea that the riots across the Middle East are about democracy are naive, the real cause is the spike of commodity prices.

This is about poor people starting to feel hunger and anger.

When did anyone claim that the protests were triggered by a lack of democracy? Heraclitus is so stupid sometimes...

[Heraclitus]

When did anyone claim that the protests were triggered by a lack of democracy? Heraclitus is so stupid sometimes...

Not here, but some of the major media outlets are basically arguing this. The tardificent FoxNews for starters.

[giblets]

Fox News just wants to advocate the opposite of whatever Obama is doing...

[BeBMan]

Surely riots of such an extent would be about exactly one reason only and never about a variety of factors.

[Hueij]

Disregarding some of the retards above:

Wow, the Egyptian army stated that it is on the side of the protestors. Like it or not, but what is happening now could be as important as the fall of the Berlin wall. Interesting times indeed.

[DinoDoc]

I'm just hoping we avoid a repeat of 1979.

[Hueij]

I'm just hoping we avoid a repeat of 1979.

We will. There is no Khomeiny in Egypt to take over this revolution.

[Whoha]

Fox News just wants to advocate the opposite of whatever Obama is doing...

So thats why Obama has just stopped taking positions.

[onodera]

The whole idea that the riots across the Middle East are about democracy are naive, the real cause is the spike of commodity prices.

This is about poor people starting to feel hunger and anger.

Poor people with Facebook and Twitter accounts?

[Hueij]

@onodera It's not the poor that are revolting. It's the middle class.

[Al B. Sure!]

Yeah you constantly see this whole 'poor people in the Middle East' nonsense as if we're talking Indian or Haitian level of poverty. The anti-capitalist propaganda that free trade is motivating terrorism doesn't hold up when you see that it's the Arab middle class that is the Islamist base.

I swear people also are thinking in 1950 terms of the West and the Third World, as if there aren't a crapload of countries in between.

Check it:



% of population living on less than $2/day.

18.5% of Egypt's population is below that poverty threshold (overwhelmingly in the rural south of the country).

That's a lower poverty rate than Armenia, Georgia, South Africa, The Philippines, etc.


When you consider % of population living below $1.25/day, Egypt suddenly looks like a Western economy:



So that means less than 20% of Egypt's population is in poverty, but they aren't below the $1.25/day threshold determined by the UN Human Development Report to be 'extreme poverty'


Get out of that outdated 'West and The Rest' mindset... things like high rates of poverty, large families, high infant mortality, early marriage age, etc. that have been the hallmarks of the Third World don't apply to countries like Egypt.