Anger & Hope

"It all began in one small Tunisia town with one despondent man, frustrated by lack of employment who set himself on fire and in turn set the whole Arab world ablaze with anger and hope. As the dominos fall throughout the Arab and northern African world, many of us wonder what is waiting on the other side. Will the people in these countries get the freedom and hope they desire?"
Source: Africana Online

An updated N. African protest map.  The "nodes on the network" continue to connect.  It might be a good time for a re-read of Gladwell's "Tipping Point"!

Protest Map - N. Africa / Middle East

I've used my analogy of The Onion probably too much, but my "Argentina-Onion" post still ranks as my highest visited ever.  The N. African onion layers are peeling back quickly.  What's interesting, is that right across the "Mediterranean pond" there are countries such as Spain, Italy, and Portugal that are in much more financial trouble, but the power of the EU keeps them afloat.  When the outer layers of the EU onion peel back further, it will be interesting to watch.  Tunisia, Algeria, and Jordan haven't really attracted major news coverage, but Egypt sure has.  Why, because Egypt is a more important peace in the "chess game".  A U.S. ally, but a country with a long history of major conflict in the region, especially with our good friends in Israel.  Stay tuned.