Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Democracy on the Mind

The new year has started with a surge of populist democratic movements across the globe. In Tunisia, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was pushed out of power after a month-long popular uprising against corruption, lack of jobs and a clampdown on civil liberties: http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&safe=off&q=revolution+in+tunisia&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=dded8f20a6bb9442. In Egypt, continued protests seem on the verge of ousting President Mubarak's 30-year dictatorial, repressive reign (http://slatest.slate.com/id/2283149/?wpisrc=newsletter) as the army refuses to shoot at Egyptian citizens and Nobel Laureate ElBaradie set to step in and institute democratic reforms.And anti-government protests in Sudan seem on the verge of reaping the desired secession of the South: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12324646. Even in the U.S., a protest emerged against the billionaire Koch brothers and their largely secret work on behalf of the Tea Party and other conservative movements: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-koch-brothers-20110131,0,3791885.story.

After the institution of austerity programs in the U.K., the anti-labor push in Germany and the huge mid-term victories for conservatives in the U.S., there was certainly concern that neoliberalism was to survive and flourish at the tail end of the financial crisis. But these movements and continued unrest among populations in the core nations certainly challenge the notion that the status quo will be restored without challenge. The power of democracy has always been its tendency to extend beyond the contours of its birth. Today populations across the globe seem poised to demand a more just and democratic future that reflects their interests and challenges the position of entrenched power.

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