Going Too Far

Getting rid of dictators is all well and good, but, in the rush to do so, many countries find that they don't have a viable alternative to put in place, so anarchy and chaos ensue. Although it's difficult to contain the anger over, often, decades of repressive government, from the practical standpoint, a little patience would go a long way to ensure that some sort of reasonable transition is set in motion. What we're seeing now in the Arab world is a euphoria about freedom that has led to reckless and even irrational behavior by people on the streets who want immediate solutions to old problems and won't let themselves be governed by anyone.

What they haven't realized yet is that democracy and freedom won't work unless they are allowed to function for a reasonable period of time. Interrupting public processes with constant demonstrations and challenges to law and order will only force whatever government there is to take extraordinary measures to restore some semblance of normalcy and end up behaving much like the deposed government.

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