The Occupy Wall Street Movement-Parallels to Tunisia’s Revolution

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Coubi

Based on what I witnessed, it was clear that the revolution to overthrow the Dictatorship in Tunisia began as an economic protest movement, not as a political movement.

In other words it was a protest against the wide gap between the rich and the poor.  Whenever such a gap exists, it creates instability that can lead to the breakdown of societal systems and ultimately; revolution.

As I describe in my book, the spark that set off the riots that soon spread to our neighborhood was the act of one single impoverished man, aged 26; who doused himself with paint thinner and set himself on fire.  This occurred on December 17, 2010.

His motivations were likely purely personal in the sense that there was no organized protest movement waiting to take advantage of his act.  Nevertheless, it was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.
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The Alpha Dog Syndrome 1

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Coubi

Back in 1983, I read a book called “Power and Principle” by President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Adviser, Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski (pronounced: zbignief bzezinski).  More recently, President Obama has also been asking him for his views on American foreign policy.

I was only 28 at the time, and I was living in Kuwait, just after returning from New York where I had just completed my MBA.  Although I had gone to New York for business training, my true interest was world affairs.

For the first time in my life, I felt so strongly about something that I had to write him a letter.  I tried to point out to him that the long-term implications of the strategies he discussed were bound to create more problems than they would solve.

I have to say I was really surprised when he wrote back.  I was even more surprised when he agreed on many of the points I raised.  (see link below to download a PDF version including both my letter and his response).

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The 3 Ducks

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Coubi

I think that I owe my life to 3 ducks.

In the winter of 1990, I, along with 3 other guys, got lost in Algonquin Park and almost died.  I describe what happened and how we got out in more detail in my book, but the single key reason why we did survive was because I didn’t give up.

I have to admit that wasn’t due to my being brave or whatever, it was due to 3 ducks that taught me a lesson on life about a month earlier.

When my family moved to Canada from Kuwait, I was given a temporary work permit.  As I mention in the book, it took time to process the security clearance part of the permanent residency application.  Due to the fact that it was temporary, I wasn’t yet able to invest any money and start a new business.  So, I used the time to investigate opportunities. Continue reading →

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Would You Pass the Gold Rolex Test?

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Coubi

I would like to tell you the story of the Gold Rolex test I devised.  Well, I didn’t actually sit down and “devise” it, I just noticed what happened, and then began to use it.

First, however, in order for that story to make more sense, I would like to tell you another story.

When I was living in Canada, a friend of mine based in Kuwait called me and asked me to buy his wife 3 bottles of an expensive Canadian perfume that wasn’t on sale there, and to ship them to him.  He told me what the approximate price was, and said he would transfer the money to me the next day.

So, dressed in an old and comfortable pair of jeans, a leather jacket, and sneakers, I drove to downtown Toronto to a huge mall in the center of the city.  I walked over to the perfume section to look for the brand he wanted.  All the sales staff were, of course, dressed up and looked very elegant.  They had to be, they were working in a high class store, and they had to look the part.

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Is Islam a Threat to the West?

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Coubi

There’s a lot of undue fear in the West about the rise of Islam, and that worry is fueling intolerance and racism.  The recent “Arab spring” uprisings have added to that worry because the West is afraid that in moving toward Democracy, the Arab countries will now vote in Islamic governments that are hostile to the West.

I was born in Egypt, lived in Kuwait and Morocco, and have visited several other Arab countries. I’ve also been on the ground here in Tunisia, the birthplace of the so-called “Arab Spring”, since before the revolution and have witnessed firsthand the events as they have been unfolding.

It’s a fact that there have been many widely reported incidents of terrorism where the perpetrators have claimed to have acted in the name of Islam.  But, whether or not you approve of the religion, does that actually mean that Islam itself is the cause of these incidents?  More importantly, does it mean that voting in Islamic governments implies a growing threat?  The answer to both questions is “No“.

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“Après moi, le deluge”

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Coubi

Does the word “Eyjafjallajokull” mean anything to you?  It should.  So should the word “Katla”.  So should “Fukushima”, for that matter.

In my book, I made a statement that the future survival of any living species on earth today depends a great deal on whether or not it can colonize other planets.  I also said that human beings are more likely to destroy themselves than they are likely to succeed.  It seems we’re more interested in fighting with each other than cooperating with each other.  Like I said in the book, I’m not a pessimist, I’m a “realistic optimist”.  That means that I have hope that things will turn out ok, but I’m not blind to reality.

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Does Democracy Mean Disrespect of Authority?

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Coubi

About 3 weeks before the Tunisian Revolution that began in December 2011, I had to go down to the main post office to pick up a package that had been flagged by Customs for payment of duty.

When I arrived, I saw total chaos as people were pushing and shoving to get their packages released.  There was no queue, and it was every man for himself.  If you just stood there, you got nothing.  You were forced to act in the same way, or you would be there all day.  After a few minutes of trying to figure out what to do, by coincidence a Customs Officer entered the waiting area.  He calmly said “Everyone in line”.  It wasn’t a request, it was a command, despite his having said it in a low voice.

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“Moderate” Islam

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Coubi

Recently the Washington Post online edition published an article dated November 28, 2011 (see link at end of this post) entitled “Tunisia a test for what ‘moderate’ Islam looks like”.

The concept behind the title is that just as Tunisia is where the so called “Arab Spring” uprisings originated, what the country now decides regarding to what degree and what form of Islam is part of their government; is likely to influence other countries in the Middle East.

Tunisia has probably become the bellwether for what happens in the Arab World.  There are 3 main areas to look for.

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Tunisia: Update on the Police

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Coubi

In my book “Burning to Live”, I described the scenes after the ex-President fled the country.  Once the regime collapsed, the people directed their anger toward the Police because they were the most visible members of the old system.  Over a number of years, there had been several incidents wherein higher level members of the old regime used the police as a tool to persecute anyone that did not give in to their private wishes.  Therefore, as I mentioned, the Police withdrew from the streets because of fear for their lives.

When that occurred, the number of violent incidents increased, and the country was pushed to the brink of collapse.  As I described in the book, I saw many incidents of what occurred after they withdrew, and it would have gotten worse had it not been for the Army.

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Are Human Beings Really Governable?

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Coubi

The simple answer:  Yes, as long as there is enough to go around, and No, when there isn’t.

At the end of this post, I put links to 3 recent examples of what I’m talking about.

The first link is to what occurred on November 25, 2011 in the USA, a country recognized as being an “Advanced Democracy”.  During the Thanksgiving Day sales, a mother of 3 caused injury to 20 people when she used pepper spray to fight for a video game box she wanted.  A grandfather was bloodied when police tried to subdue him after his attempt to shoplift an item.  And there were several incidents of shootings reported as well.  Remember that this wasn’t about “necessities” it was mostly about electronic toys.

In my book I refer to 3 incidents, that I saw with my own eyes, about what happens to humans when there isn’t enough to go around.  In these cases, it was not about toys, but about food and other essential items.

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