tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post1615119007714887146..comments2024-02-23T01:30:06.101-08:00Comments on Early Warning: Oil, Food, and the Wealth of MENA CountriesStuart Stanifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-91150294282741011932011-01-31T17:04:01.133-08:002011-01-31T17:04:01.133-08:00Folks, the Tunisians are fairly pissed off about t...Folks, the Tunisians are fairly pissed off about the hypey name Jasmine Revolution. It's not their moniker. Here is a quote from a commenter I picked up this morning:<br /><br />"It is not the Jasmine revolution. Please stop calling it as such.<br /><br />the difference between these revolutions and other 'Colour' revolutions is that the colour revolution were incited and supported by the West.<br /><br />the Revolutions we are seeing now were not supported by the west. In fact, they were met with caution and silence. we've had enough of the west claiming credit for all that's good that happens in the Middle East, and ignoring all responsibility of the bad.<br /><br />and - I'm a huge fan of wikileaks, but no, the revolution didn't start because of Wikileaks."verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06823525858589365541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-86770119623527373482011-01-29T10:37:57.065-08:002011-01-29T10:37:57.065-08:00Makes sense that the countries in revolt rank low ...Makes sense that the countries in revolt rank low on the GDP per capita scale, in that one of the catalysts for the turmoil has been the high prices of food staples like wheat,rice, and the very important commodity sugar, now at a 30 year price high.Redfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02070132575343241279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-78235588767145588322011-01-29T07:18:52.477-08:002011-01-29T07:18:52.477-08:00Catching up this morning on the Guardian's liv...Catching up this morning on the Guardian's live blog, it looks like the Egyptian army has so far been unwilling to fire on the protestors. Unless the army shows willingness to do so soon, Mubarak will have to leave the country before protesters find him.Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-69291565850165560102011-01-28T18:49:57.394-08:002011-01-28T18:49:57.394-08:00Hmmm. According to this AP story, the price of Eg...Hmmm. According to this <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=12788469" rel="nofollow">AP story</a>, the price of Egyptian government bond CDS have jumped 90%. Meanwhile, Saudi CDS have jumped 41%, Morroco 40%, and Israel 30%. So the markets think there's a fair chance of more contagion.Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-10739373670863115802011-01-28T15:09:41.708-08:002011-01-28T15:09:41.708-08:00Mubarak has thrown his cabinet under the bus. Dou...Mubarak has thrown <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/world/middleeast/29unrest.html" rel="nofollow">his cabinet under the bus.</a> Doubt that will appease the protesters. Tomorrow should be interesting...Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-30162399762378014442011-01-28T12:40:25.409-08:002011-01-28T12:40:25.409-08:00Secretary Clinton says:
Secretary of State Hilla...Secretary Clinton <a href="" rel="nofollow">says:</a><br /><br /><i><br />Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on Friday for the Egyptian government to “restrain the security forces” that are confronting street protesters, and said that “reform is absolutely critical to the well-being of Egypt.” Her remarks were the Obama administration’s firmest statement so far on the mushrooming street protests in Egypt.<br /><br />Reading from a written statement outside her office, moments before the sound of gunfire broke out in the streets of Cairo, Mrs. Clinton said that the Egyptian authorities should not “rush to impose very strict measures that would be violent.” She called on President Hosni Mubarak to open “a dialogue between the government and people of Egypt,” and said that “the deep grievances within Egyptian society” that will not be erased by a crackdown.<br /><br />With events in Egypt unfolding at a furious pace, Mrs. Clinton’s statement toughened the administration’s line, after two days in which senior officials have struggled to balance their longstanding alliance with Mr. Mubarak with a desire to support the democratic aspirations of his restive people.<br /><br />Mrs. Clinton said that the future of Egypt was up to the Egyptian people, which seemed to open the door to political change. “There is a constant concern for the need of greater openness, greater participation, particularly on the part of young people,” she said, noting that she had raised this issue two weeks ago in Qatar, where she bluntly warned Arab leaders to reform their societies.</i><br /><br />Sounds to me like we are on the side of the protesters, not that of President Mubarak. That is undoubtedly the side of right...<br /><br />Still, I wonder what she'd be saying if this was Saudi Arabia instead of Egypt? Not that much difference in the way the regimes treat their people. If this wave of revolution goes much beyond Egypt, the consequences will be absolutely incalculable.<br /><br />In particular, if this administration presides over a revolution in a major oil producing country, it can probably kiss it's chances of getting re-elected goodbye...Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-17129981121677486552011-01-28T11:51:35.243-08:002011-01-28T11:51:35.243-08:00Protests in Jordan, too. Al Jazeera English seems...Protests in Jordan, <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/2011128125157509196.html" rel="nofollow">too</a>. Al Jazeera English seems to have the <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/" rel="nofollow">best coverage</a>.Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-38857199623368980162011-01-28T11:03:48.496-08:002011-01-28T11:03:48.496-08:00Also, Egypt has cut itself off from the Internet.Also, Egypt has <a href="http://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/01/egypt-unplugged-from-the-internet/" rel="nofollow">cut itself off</a> from the Internet.Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-57692026497764186172011-01-28T11:01:39.731-08:002011-01-28T11:01:39.731-08:00If you haven't seen the latest, the Egyptian m...If you haven't seen the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/world/middleeast/29unrest.html?hp" rel="nofollow">latest</a>, the Egyptian military has been called onto the streets, and the ruling party's building is in flames.Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.com