The BBC website is quite clear on the subject:
"In a string of Arab countries, succession issues loom as ageing autocrats confront the unmet aspirations of their youthful and rapidly growing populations." The article goes on to say that there is a risk of unrest spreading to neighbouring Algeria. It also makes the point that repressive regimes, thanks to the internet, texting, etc, can no longer control news reaching their populations, and are thus unable to pretend that the characteristic features of repressive regimes (corruption, human rights abuse, etc) do not exist. Another point made by another commentator is that many young Tunisians are highly educated, and are no longer prepared to tolerate a state that denies them freedom of expression and (perhaps more significantly) has failed to provide them with productive employment.
Educated elites who feel aggrieved at the political system under which they live are a dangerous force. Such elites were the prime movers behind both the French and Russian Revolutions. The French revolutionary,
Danton, said:
"The revolution came: I and all those like me threw ourselves into it. The old regime drove us to it by giving us a good education without opening any opportunity for our talents"
Perhaps we in the UK should take note. We now have an angry student population who feel that they face an uncertain financial future; we have thousands of intelligent young people who will be unable to enter Higher Education because they cannot afford it. The resentment and frustration felt by both groups could lead to problems in times to come. The popular unrest inTunisia, as I suggested above, could be a portent for the future.
Yes, I agree it could be a portent. The only thing I would add is that the internet not only allows citizens to tell the world what is happening in their country, but also when their leaders tell them they live in a paradise on Earth, they can see precisely how true such claims are for themselves. That's why countries like China and Korea, both of which both claim to be socialist republics, censor the internet. Can't have the workers realising the full extent of their oppression.
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