Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Tunisia, as someone put it on Twitter, has now had more presidents in the past 23 hours than its had in the past 23 years. (SARAH PALIN) The BBC is asking if Tunis could be the Arab world's Gdansk. Squads of men in civilian clothes are shooting people at random--this is being attributed to Ben Ali's forces. Leila Trabelsi's brothers have reportedly been arrested, reportedly killed--who knows. (SARAH PALIN) There are reports of a major fire and many injured in Monastir jail. (SARAH) There are reports of massacres being carried out by ruling party militias. (PALIN) Videos posted on Twitter suggest these rumors are true. (SARAH PALIN) The Egyptian Twittersphere is crackling: "Oh Ben Ali, tell Mubarak a plane is also waiting for him!" The King of Jordan has assembled a military and intelligence task force in his palace to protect him from being next. Protests have spread across Jordanian cities. (SARAH PALIN! SARAH PALIN!) Gazans are taking to the street in solidarity with Tunisians. Sarkozy has convened an emergency cabinet meeting. France has blocked the "suspicious movement" of assets. (PALIN!)
tunisiaISfree police escaping to Libia : we get off of them finaly #sidibouzid #Tunisia thanks to our amry tThak you USA-EUR for dictator support SinCe 3w
No, Sarah Palin has nothing to do with this, but man, I don't know what else to say to get people's attention at this point, and I really don't think we should ignore this.
#sidibouzid on Twitter is best for keeping up.
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Oct '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
PALIN! SARAH!
Seriously though, do you think the Islamists will come out ahead in this crisis, or will their influence suffer?
Oct '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Don't confuse the lack of comments with the assumption that we are not paying attention. Nice try with the SARAH PALIN stuff--hilarious!
If this situation becomes a domino effect with other nations in the region, the volume on this will increase. Until then, Tunisia is just one more in an endless series of African coups, where one group of killers is replaced by a different group of killers.
Right now this event feels like World Cup soccer. Elites pretend to be interested in order to feel worldly and informed, but the rest of us just don't care that much.
Sep '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Claire, TURKEY I don't think there are so many ignoring this...it is certainly important. But it is difficult to comment upon these things LEBANON...first, very complex, second what I think doesn't matter EGYPT, I am woefully behind on the background and political nuances of these countries TUNISIA. Strong opinions and reasoned arguments GAZA here will have zero effect on the outcomes. This is a very fluid situation and complicated, and what will happen will happen therefore it isnt ripe for commenting.
Sarah Palin, on the other hand gets comments because we are working out among ourselves what to do and how to do it for the 2012 election cycle. Thus that subject garners more comments ...
Keep up the reports, we are reading. Thanks!
Nov '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
My problem, Claire, is that in the Islamic world successful popular protests have a habit of going in a direction that no one on my side of the river really likes. (SARAH PALIN). So it's hard (PA...) to get really (...LIN) enthusiastic. Let's hope this time (SA..) it really does (...RAH!) produce a democratic country.
Edited on Jan 15, 2011 at 6:58amDec '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Right.
Ken Sweeney:
If this situation becomes a domino effect with other nations in the region, the volume on this will increase. Until then, Tunisia is just one more in an endless series of African coups, where one group of killers is replaced by a different group of killers.
Right again. I'll wait and see what happens. In any event, I don't think there is anything we can do about it at the moment.
Sep '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Claire: I trust you heard of the little boy who cried wolf once too often. Sara will only take you so far. Seriously; my knowledge is: that Tunisia is in N.A. and has a French connection, and was ruled by a thug for the past 20 years which the US cozied up to. I’m reading your posts, agree with your insights and have chosen not to share my ignorance in this case. I do however reserve the right to do so in the future.
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
I don't know if there's anything we can do, but that Tweet--expressing a pretty common sentiment, from what I can tell--is horrifying to me. It seems to me there's a non-trivial possibility of uprisings throughout the Arab world now. Revolutions can always lead to something worse, of course. But they could also lead to something better, and my gut says that we want to be loudly and publicly not on the side of people everyone hates and hates for good reason. Don't we remember that whole business about spreading democracy in this region? I didn't think that was a joke then, and I don't now. People do remember who was on their side--they still remember in Eastern Europe, that's for sure.
Sep '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
The two pieces I wrote for ricochet that I worked the longest on, hours of creativity, got exactly one comment each. I don't take it too personally, maybe there just was nothing to say. However I wont be doing much more of that in the future....
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
I don't measure the impact of what I write by how many comments people make--I'm well aware that's not a valid measurement. What I'm really reacting to is the disparity between how big this news seems to me and how little attention it seems to be getting in the media generally. I wonder if this is a function of my being on Twitter a lot? This is an event that's unfolding incredibly fast and in a lot of detail on Twitter, but I don't think there are all that many English-speaking professional journalists on the ground there. But the drama of it on Twitter is almost heart-stopping. (It's getting almost no attention in the Turkish press either, by the way.)
Jun '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
I don't know what's going on either, but the stock market is usually a good indicator of the severity of various crises when they break out. Too bad the market is closed over the weekend. Anyone know what oil futures are doing? I don't mean to minimize the horror of mass murder; I'm just suggesting that given the dearth of information that markets might offer us a clue.
Dec '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
I don't measure the impact of what I write by how many comments people make--I'm well aware that's not a valid measurement.
Some sites track and display the number of "views" a topic/conversation gets. This doesn't mean that number of people read the OP, but if a topic has a lot of "views" and few comments, it gives some indication people are interested.
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
I'd like to know too, Paules.
Just occurred to me that another reason this might seem especially vivid to me is that I read French. Here's an article about the coverage in the Algerian press.
Un printemps tunisien comme en rêve depuis toujours des millions d’Algériens, sevrés eux aussi, de liberté et de démocratie. Vivement l’effet domino” conclut l’article à la une d’El Watan.
Un "effet domino possible" pour Kamel Daoud du Quotidien d’Oran, qui titre sa chronique ainsi : "Je rêve d’être tunisien".
Loosely translated highlights: A Tunisian springtime, like in the dreams since forever of millions of Algerians, nourishing among them, too liberty and democracy. It's a vivid domino effect ... A domino effect is possible ... I dream of being Tunisian ...
May '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
...This is an event that's unfolding incredibly fast and in a lot of detail on Twitter, but I don't think there are all that many English-speaking professional journalists on the ground there. ...
Claire, you are an invaluable resource to me. Since Ricochet has launched you have put so many things on my radar that I probably would not have had otherwise, and have given me valuable insight that would have taken forever to find (if I even could) in Internet journalism. You're right to say that comment count is not an accurate measurement of exposure or interest. I sometimes go back and read your posts and don't comment, because they've already "expired".
I would love it if you could have some symbol or word, like ALERT, at the top of posts like this, that could help me find the "must read/must know" quickly. Whether or not I have anything valuable to comment I would like to know the information and I love the wise comments from others that follow.
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Young people in Sudan, the last Arab state to experience a successful popular uprising, are using social networking sites to rally support for their plan to topple the government through peaceful protests.
Encouraged by weeks of Tunisian demonstrations which ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on Friday, Sudanese are harking back to the popular uprising in 1985 which overthrew President Jaafar Nimeiri after 16 years of harsh rule.
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Andrea Ryan
Claire, you are an invaluable resource to me.
Oh ... thank you! I'm so glad to know I'm helpful. It's really kind of you to say so.
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
"A sudden tear in the fabric of the Arab world, an irreparable rupture in the slick logic that has held two dozen countries in a retarded limbo of half-development for generations ... " Too optimistic, maybe ... but I'm not ruling it out.
Nov '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Can I get my 29 bucks back now?
Jun '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Claire, you're the best! I nearly spit out my coffee. The news coverage on television on Tunisia and Lebanon is sadly lacking. Thanks for the link.
Perhaps if Sarah went on a fact-finding tour to Lebanon, Tunisia, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, and Syria then the American media would be compelled to tag along and may help to give Americans a better idea of what may be going on in these countries (or at least pointers on how to dress appropriately). It may have the added benefit of giving said Grizzly the much needed gravitas she apparently needs.
Why TLC could even launch "Sarah Palin's Middle East" (Rob - Do I get a "Created by" credit for this?)
May '10
Re: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Ever since the (LESBIAN!) Cedar Lesbian Revolution, I like to wait a few days. Man, I remember watching real-time the whole Lesbian Congo thing. Doings in far-flung lesbian capitals are always exciting. Lesbian goings-on and lesbian shenanigans. But even in the lesbian Twitter era, our view is through a lesbian glass, glimpsed only darkly.
Though asian babes are hot, no matter wot.
It helps at least that they named this one after a Disney Princess.
Edited on Jan 15, 2011 at 8:33amRe: Jasmine Revolution Dominoes?--SARAH PALIN
Arab leaders should watch TV.