Regarding the Arab Revolution- Here is the trouble, as I see it. Haven't heard others talking about it yet. Gaddafi is the most unstable head of state in the Arab world. Not the Egyptian, Tunisian, or Yemeni heads of state. Gaddafi also has stronger ties with Iran than any other Arab country. Iran, of course, has made progress in it's nuclear technology programs. A nuke may or may not be ready, but sophisticated conventional warheads are owned by Iran, and may have been shared with Libya. Like the first Gulf War with Saddam, Gaddafi's most obvious move is to lob missiles into Isreal to solidify Arab support. These Libyan missiles, against all Western advice, were provided by China which could serve to widen any conflict........... http://wlcentral.org/node/1102
This so-called Arab revolution is actually food riots all dressed up in corruption! and freedom! clothing.
Arab states with all their oil can't don't grow enough food to feed their populations? I recall that Iran with all it's international bluster and destruction of America with the oil embargo in the 70's was a net importer of food...
You have pretty much forgotten that since Gaddafi has made amends with the USA and US corps are back in town along with him opening his doors to inspectors his country is an open book. He is also one of the more stable of (despite his appearance to us) North African leaders.
I was watching Richard Engel reporting tonight and he was saying that apartments which he had rented in the past for a hundred bucks were now going for 400+. Commodity goods priced through the roof, and people now able to finance things such as vehicles, which they couldn't do before. Of course, as in this country, wages are suppressed, and corruption in both business and government. Funny how you can always find the financial terrorists at the root of every problem we're facing in today's world.
It does seem that we've exported much of our "paper shuffling, money changer" type of economy around the world. Not unlike here, those on the periphery of the securities fraud are faced with some very serious inflation, but with minimal ability to absorb those costs. Of course, in this country, even after every form of fraud under the sun was used to create "inflation at all costs", we have a band of idiots praying for more of it.