Practice Good Theory

The Mediterranean Maghreb , along with Egypt and the Levant , has been rocked by the "Arab Spring". Once part of the Roman Empire , North Africa went through a period of Islamic rule, Turkish Imperialism, and European colonialism, followed by independence under mostly dictatorial regimes. The Arab spring marks a new turning point. " A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new; when an age ends; and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance ." - Nehru What will "the new" look like in North Africa? Some fear the next phase will be Iranian-style Islamic rule, others are cheering for Democracy. Probably, the next phase will vary across the four countries of the region, ranging between strong authoritarian (possibly Islamic) rule and more liberal democracies that implement a few Islamic rules in family-law and related areas. Later, with a generation or two, that too  may pass. I think it...

Some tidbits of news from around the world: Protests in India:  As these photos from CNN show , last week New Delhi looked like Tahir square, as thousands of middle-class youth protested against traditional police attitudes toward rape. This followed an exceptionally brutal rape of a middle-class girl in India's capital. Police responded with batons and water-cannons, and one cop died. It appears that this will be  watershed incident, which will bring some real change to public (and police) attitudes toward rape. Britain's Royal Mail has started to explore privatization . Margaret Thatcher sold state-owned industries except for the railways and the post office. Her successor privatized British Rail  in 1993 (inspired by Sweden). The U.S.Post Office and Amtrak have no plans to privatize, though the former is selling some of its pricey real-estate . The 1997  Kyoto Protocol is losing steam. In 2011, Canada withdrew . Now, in the latest roun...