The shaping of a New World Order

[RearrangedReality]

Whether Islamist or secularist, any government of "of the people" will turn against the neoliberal economic policies that have enriched regional elites while forcing half or more of the population to live below the $2 per day poverty line. They will refuse to follow the US or Europe's lead in the war on terror if it means the continued large scale presence of foreign troops on the region's soil. They will no longer turn a blind eye, or even support, Israel's occupation and siege across the Occupied Palestinian territories. They will most likely shirk from spending a huge percentage of their national income on bloated militaries and weapons systems that serve to enrich western defence companies and prop up autocratic governments, rather than bringing stability and peace to their countries - and the region as a whole.

They will seek, as China, India and other emerging powers have done, to move the centre of global economic gravity towards their region, whose educated and cheap work forces will further challenge the more expensive but equally stressed workforces of Europe and the United States.

In short, if the revolutions of 2011 succeed, they will force the creation of a very different regional and world system than the one that has dominated the global political economy for decades, especially since the fall of communism.

This system could bring the peace and relative equality that has so long been missing globally - but it will do so in good measure by further eroding the position of the United States and other "developed" or "mature" economies. If Obama, Sarkozy, Merkel and their colleagues don't figure out a way to live with this scenario, while supporting the political and human rights of the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa, they will wind up with an adversary far more cunning and powerful than al-Qa'eda could ever hope to be: more than 300 million newly empowered Arabs who are mad as hell and are not going to take it any more

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/20112611181593381.html

[fahfee]

on a side note

Happy albeit unofficial birthday to South Sudan

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7160CW20110207?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

 

[Yung lansky]

South sudans 'birthday' is only on its independence day....9 July.....but i can foresee serious problems in the run up to july 9. Even though the people inevitably opted to secede,  issues such as  oil, nationality etc are going to create major problems in this area add that to the fact that the North and South have been fighting an ideological, religious,cultural battle for such a prolonged duration.

I dont think Khartoum will go out of its way to intentionally destabilize the situation in the South due to the fact that it is still funding a major war in Darfur and sanctions are beginning to take their tole on the people (look at Egypt and Tunisia for examples of what happens when people are feed up with f***ery).  Instead i see this as a ripe opportunity for Muslim fundamentalists (sudan was has previously hosted osama bin laden , even giving him nationality)  and the LRA to breed confusion the area in the lead up to July 9th. But hopefully all my fears will be alleviated, because on paper Southern Sudan has the legitimate opportunity to create a truly great black African country if they can learn from the numerous mistakes they and so many other post-colonial African states have committed.