Lately I've been puzzled about why NATO and the U.S. have intervened militarily in Libya, but stayed out of popular rebellions in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, and other middle east countries. Human rights concerns doesn't seem to fully explain it. After all governments in Yemen and Bahrain in particular have violated human rights without so … Continue reading Libya, Tunisia, Egypt – One of These Is Not Like The Other
Egypt
“I Am Egyptian..”
I received the following email from Talaat Pasha, Ph.D., a fellow professor. I think it rather concisely explains why the Egyptian people have arisen to change their government. Dear American fellow people,I am Egyptian. I have been ruled by the state of emergency for thirty (30)years, yes 30 years. 40% of my people live under … Continue reading “I Am Egyptian..”
Income Inequality: Worse in US than Egypt/Tunisia
Washington's blog observes: Egyptian, Tunisian and Yemeni protesters all say that inequality is one of the main reasons they're protesting.However, the U.S. actually has much greater inequality than in any of those countries. Specifically, the "Gini Coefficient" - the figure economists use to measure inequality - is higher in the U.S. [Click for larger image] … Continue reading Income Inequality: Worse in US than Egypt/Tunisia
Demography and Revolutions
Continuing the discussion on Egypt, Tunisia, and the protests in North Africa/Middle East... One important characteristic of these nations is that they have very young populations. Young adults, those under say age 35, dominate the population, much the same way the Baby Boomers dominated the U.S. in the turbulent 1960's and 1970's. Having a lot … Continue reading Demography and Revolutions
Tunisia, Egypt and “isms”
Note to regular readers: You may notice an increasing number of posts that deal with pure political economy or international issues. In the past my posts have been dominated by macro-economic concerns and that's largely because my teaching schedule was heavily macro. I'm teaching a new class this term that is essentially Political Economy 101, … Continue reading Tunisia, Egypt and “isms”
EconProph 