Wikileaks is not a new idea anymore, it has been around for a good few years now. The revolutionary whistle-blower website opened eyes around the world to what was happening "behind closed curtains". Many of the cable messages that were originally sent between the American government and its embassies around the world did not really carry anything too surprising, what it did carry was a reminder of what things really look like.
Politics is, was, and never will be a see through issue, however much we are told by our governments that they are. And for anyone with half a brain, the wikileaks cables weren't much more than a wake-up call, reminding us of the dark side if politics, the side your not supposed to know about.
Arab governments have forever fed their people with ideas of nationalism, superiority and meaningless conspiracy theories which Arabs have become obsessed with, ones very similar to the one Gaddafi is trying to feed his people. What wikileaks actually did for the Arab world was remind them that their own governments are the ones to blame for things that are going wrong and that not everything is a Zionist/American/... conspiracy. This has caused a slight change in the Arab mentality, one that has been coming for years, but was triggered at last.
Wikileaks thank you for starting it !
Feb 28, 2011
Jordan: King Abdullah tries to get ahead of the crisis
Investments to watch: SPDR S&P Emerging Middle East & Africa ETF (GAF)
Style of government: Constitutional monarchy, incorporating limited democracy.
Inflation: Jordanian inflation up 6.1% year-over-year in December, 1.2% month-over-month.
Unemployment: Around 14%.
Social media: 38-39% of Jordanians have internet access.
Conclusion: Jordan is already experiencing protests related to these factors. The government is responding by providing food and fuel subsidies. King Abdullah has sacked his government and appointed a new one with reforms priority number one. Whether the government moves fast enough to implement these reforms will be the deciding factor in the future size of protests and threat to the regime.
Published by:
http://www.businessinsider.com
11th Feb, 2011
Style of government: Constitutional monarchy, incorporating limited democracy.
Inflation: Jordanian inflation up 6.1% year-over-year in December, 1.2% month-over-month.
Unemployment: Around 14%.
Social media: 38-39% of Jordanians have internet access.
Conclusion: Jordan is already experiencing protests related to these factors. The government is responding by providing food and fuel subsidies. King Abdullah has sacked his government and appointed a new one with reforms priority number one. Whether the government moves fast enough to implement these reforms will be the deciding factor in the future size of protests and threat to the regime.
Published by:
http://www.businessinsider.com
11th Feb, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)