Who deserves credit for the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt? Bradley Manning that's who.

[go west young man]

One brave soldier brought Mubarek's royal reign to the daylight. http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/wikileaks-egypt-s-mubarak-likely-to-run-in-2011-1.329936
One brave patriot showed the people of Tunisia that their leader was corrupt. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/217138

The cables reveal that even thought the governments of these countries are corrupt the U.S. government continues to work with them.
The U.S. government has facilitated and aided these corrupt dictators. That in itself is a crime. The U.S. government didn't foment these uprisings.
Odds are the U.S. government helped keep these dictators in power for favors, weapons sales, use of airspace, you name it.
But Bradley Manning, by allegedly leaking the Wikileaks cables, has helped bring about not one, but two revolutions.
Now that's a fucking soldier!

[The Magistrate]

1. Do Not Imagine, Sir, The People Of Those Countries Needed Education On Their Misrule

They live under it, after all.

If you want to credit this to one individual, award the palm to young Mr. Mohamed Bou’azizi, steeled by the courage of despair to a pitch difficult to imagine.

[go west young man]

2. Kudo's and credit for the truth you bring.

Bradley's info was a small catalyst, but according to the Guardian UK, the proverbial straw that has broken the camel's back. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/15/tunisia-wikileaks-ghannouchi


Publication of WikiLeaks sourced private US comments on the corruption and nepotism of a hated "sclerotic" regime is said to have helped create Tunisia's protest, and generated talk by US commentators of a "Wikileaks revolution".

[Alamuti Lotus]

4. US commentators would like to attribute it to one of their own, perhaps

the convergance of declining economics and daily reality are, in fact, a far greater straw. Nobody really cares what US diplomats have to say, aside from their peers who would like to believe that they operate as equals, rather than servants.

[Alamuti Lotus]

3. absolutely correct

And as an aside, it is good to see you around!

[go west young man]

8. One thing I want to note in regards to the young man who set himself on fire.

Self immolation is not the way to go when it comes to protest. Ghandi didn't choose to light himself on fire when dealing with the British.
Suicide is never a good answer for anything. Staying around and fighting for the greater good is the way to go. I'm sad for that young Tunisian
and I hope a positive change comes to his country but I disagree he was steeled by the courage of despair. He committed suicide in a horrific way.
He was probably a touch off balance to say the least. For what reason we can speculate. But he did set himself on fire so that say's to me he was
not right in his mind.

[go west young man]

5. Der Speigel is theorizing that Algeria may be next.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,741545,00.html

A Problem throughout North Africa

Take the example of Algeria. In recent weeks, Tunisia's western neighbor has seen riots like those in Tunisia. According to a 2008 report from the US Embassy in Algiers that was leaked to the Wikileaks website, the US State Department considers the Algerian government "fragile" and riddled with "unprecedented levels of corruption." Likewise, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the country's 73-year-old president, is "isolated" and has lost touch with reality. According to the document, Bouteflika is trying to groom his brother Said, around 20 years his junior, to be his successor. The country, one source cited in the document said, is "sitting on a volcano" and its young men feel "grim" and only left with a choice "between death at sea and a slow, gradual death at home."

[go west young man]

6. And here's a good article from the Tom Dispatch by Juan Cole on the Wikileaks

effect on the Middle East and Africa. http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175346/tomgram%3A_juan_cole%2C_american_policy_on_the_brink/

[Luminous Animal]

7. Good article. Thank you.