« Trivia Tidbit Of The Day: Part 55 -- Software Piracy. | WILLisms.com | Quotational Therapy: Part 13 -- Ben Franklin, On Commerce. »

The Carnival Of Revolutions.

CARNIVAL OF REVOLUTIONS HOME BASE:

Scroll Down For Upcoming Hosting Schedule, Submission Criteria, Etc.

Welcome to the Carnival of Revolutions!

In this time, in our time, we're witnessing history unfolding every day, a spontaneous explosion of political activity breaking out around the world. We've seen it in Ukraine. We've seen it in Lebanon. But it's happening in countless other (often neglected) places. There is so much happening, it's often hard to keep up. The Carnival of Revolutions tries to provide a useful summary of the past week's progress on the march of freedom in the world.

Not all of the news is great. Some is even depressing. But we're here to tell the stories of the democratic reformers around the world, struggling for free and fair elections and/or other basic rights inherent to any democracy. We are conservatives, we are liberals, we are Democrats, we are Republicans, and we are everything in between.

We share one powerful goal, however: the advance of liberty in the world.

Democratic reformers living in "fear societies" don't necessarily need guns or large wads of cash to succeed. They do need:

- people to "tell their story"
- people to "hear their story"
- people to "know their story"
- people to "feel their story"

...which is where we come in.

Let's get to it, then:

LATIN AMERICA-

Cuba-

Am I A Pundit Now? blog offers a photograph of Fidel Castro's worst nightmare.

Fidel Castro's days are (eventually) numbered: Cuban Opposition Rallies in Havana.

New York Congressman Charlie Rangel (D), meanwhile, thinks the U.S. needs to pay Fidel the respect he deserves.

Venezuela-

Carnal Reason explains how Venezuelan oil is helping to prop up the Castro regime.

Regime Change Iran blog looks at the nuclear ambitions of Hugo Chavez.

Brazil-

Gateway Pundit notes some agrarian unrest in Brazil.

THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST-

Austin Bay comments on Fouad Ajami's assertion that the Middle East is becoming Bush Country.

Syria-

The Liberals Against Terrorism blog explains that at least one pro-democracy blogger in Syria is getting audacious about the "Damascus Spring."

Gateway Pundit, meanwhile, is one of the few voices commenting on Syria's pro-democracy protests.

Afghanistan-

The Jawa Report notes the murder of a female Afghan veejay.

Lebanon-

Spirit of America blog answers the question, "Why Lebanon?" Also, some feedback from some U.S. Marines on the matter.

Iran-

Winds of Change blog examines Iran's meaningless upcoming elections.

Pakistan-

Ever seen the words "Pakistani Mixed-Sex Race Protest," in that precise order before? Neither had we, but Gateway Pundit is on the case.

Saudi Arabia-

Gateway Pundit looks at a significant step backward in Saudi Arabia's alleged democratic reform process.

Israel-

Protests all over Israel regarding the country's fledgling disengagement plan.

The literacy rate in the Middle East for women is below 50%. Laura Bush wants to change that, while pushing for greater overall women's rights in the region.

Was Laura Bush's visit to the Middle East, as the media so widely reported, really just an anti-American ambush? You can see for yourself here.

Egypt-

The Sandmonkey blog notes that opposition candidate Ayman Nour is not, as many speculated, planning to boycott Egypt's upcoming election, despite the suspected "same-ole, same-ole" nature of recent electoral reforms.

President Bush, meanwhile, praised Egypt for taking the first steps toward democratic reform, while telling Egyptian leaders their election ought to set an example for other countries in the region.

Iraq-

The Politburo Diktat blog notes how 1,000 influential Sunni Arab clerics, tribal heads, and political leaders, are ending their lengthy boycott of the political process.

EAST ASIA-

China-

The Acorn looks at how blogging in India and China is night and day.

Korea-

The Marmot's Hole is retro-blogging Korea's Gwangju Uprising of 1980, piece by piece (Part: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Question: What is a kakistocracy?
Answer: North Korea.

EASTERN EUROPE-

Russia-

Neeka's Backlog has pictures from Russia's opposition groups (here and here). Also, pro-Putin demonstrations.

Siberian Light blog reports on President Bush's meeting with Russian civil society folks while in the neighborhood.

Siberian Light blog looks at the trial of the lone surviving member of those responsible for the Beslan school massacre, noting that the accused's legal representation may be less than adequate.

Ukraine-

Ultima Thule blog examines the swirling rumors around whether Viktor Yushchenko asked his gorgeous prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko to resign her post. At this point, it looks like they are still a team.

CENTRAL ASIA-

Tajikistan-

Volodymyr Campaign points out: "Tajikistan's only independent TV station closed."

Mongolia-

Publius Pundit takes a look at Mongolians voting.

Uzbekistan-

In an original analysis piece, Publius Pundit asks whether Andijon was 2005's Tiananmen, and looks at the implications of that brutal crackdown.

Registan addresses some questions needing answers regarding Uzbekistan. More posts from Registan on the Uzbek crisis here.

Gateway Pundit has been thoroughly covering the Uzbekistan crisis, but here are some of the more recent developments:

"Putting the Pieces Together in Uzbekistan"

"Uzbek Death Toll May Top 1,000"

"Tensions High in Uzbekistan"

Azerbaijan-

Publius Pundit notes how the Azeri government is cracking down on opposition groups.

More on the protesters clashing with police.

Registan comments on the mysterious death of a key Azeri opposition leader.

AFRICA-

Togo-

Publius Pundit examines the betrayal of democracy in Togo.

Ethiopia-

Ethiopundit picks apart the recent election in Ethiopia; the assessment is not great.

THE THEORY OF DEMOCRACY-

SophistPundit argues for educated juries in democracies.

Boxing Alcibades looks at three models of Revolution Theory, examining the ideas of Huntington, Palmer, and Pinochet.

MEANWHILE-

Publius Pundit comments on how President Bush has proposed an American corps specifically charged with promoting new democracies.

HOSTING SCHEDULE:

May 30: Registan.net
June 6: Publius Pundit
June 13: Gateway Pundit
June 20: Siberian Light
June 27: WILLisms.com
July 4: Registan.net
July 11: Publius Pundit
July 18: Boxing Alcibiades
July 25: soapgun blog
August 1: SophistPundit
August 8: Blogrel
August 15: Am I A Pundit Now?
August 22: Coming Anarchy
August 29: One Free Korea
September 5: Thinking-East
September 12: Quid Nimis
September 19: OPEN
September 26: OPEN
October 3: OPEN
October 10: OPEN
October 17: OPEN
October 24: OPEN
October 31: OPEN
November 7: OPEN

Email WILLisms@gmail.com if you would like to host the Carnival of Revolutions at some point in the future. We prefer that you have some experience blogging on these issues, as it requires a moderate level of expertise to prepare the carnival each week.

The submission deadline is each Sunday evening, but the exact deadline really up to the host each week. Any blogger can submit a post on the rapid flurry of events we see each week, or on a broader theoretical idea. The criteria are fairly broad, but inclusion of your submission is ultmately up to the host.

To submit a post for a future Carnival of Revolutions, use this page, or email the host for the week directly.

Posted by Will Franklin · 23 May 2005 01:33 PM

Comments

Posted by: Zsa Zsa at May 23, 2005 02:49 PM

Posted by: paul at May 23, 2005 03:04 PM

Posted by: Daniel at May 23, 2005 03:17 PM

Posted by: Zsa Zsa at May 23, 2005 04:28 PM

Posted by: Zsa Zsa at May 25, 2005 08:28 PM

Posted by: Beth at May 26, 2005 03:33 AM