The Next Dominoes (2 of 4)

"Hey! I shout better than you! Down with Mubarak!"

They’ve all been ruled by despots. This is what Tunisia and Egypt had in common. Both  Ben Ali and Mubarak have been in power for more than 30 years. And getting through more than 30 years in power meant getting around the weak democratic system of governance in their countries. Mubarak, who came into power in succession to the assassinated Anwar Sadat, asked his rubber stamp parliament to revise the constitution in 2005 in order to allow multi-party elections for the first time in more than 40 years. This enabled him to run for his fifth and final term against largely unpopular opponents, since the formidable ones have been largely harassed and oppressed by government forces. Ben Ali is also known to have used force and intimidation against opposition figures in his country.

The Next Dominoes (1 of 4)

First, Tunisia. Then Egypt. Who's next?
(Photo created and owned by blog author)

They are falling one by one.

Popular uprisings toppling one dictator after another in a domino affect whose time is precise and perfect, its almost as if they’re coordinated with each other.

It began last December 2010 in Tunisia, when Mohamed Bouazizi, an unemployed vendor with a college degree set himself on fire (self-immolation) as a protest against confiscation of his vegetable cart and subsequent insulting by Tunisian authorities. Bouazizi became an overnight symbol of the corrupt and inept government of Tunisia. News of his deadly protest spread like wildfire in various social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Immediately, supporters of the opposition to long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who ruled the Mediterranean nation since 1987, organized street protests and called for his immediate resignation. On January 14, 2011, Ben Ali and his family fled the country after mounting pressure for his resignation and went to exile in Saudi Arabia. He and his family has since been wanted on charges of corruption.