How The Arab Revolution Started

Then-Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali visits Mohamed Bouazizi at a Tunis hospital on Dec. 28. Bouazizi, a fruit vendor who set himself on fire after police confiscated his wares and his electronic scale, died days later. DDP/AP

The Small Tunisian Town That Sparked The Arab Revolution -- Mathieu von Rohr, Spiegel Online

On Dec. 17, 2010, a fruit seller named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire after a dispute with a government official. His act triggered the Arab Revolution. Why did it begin in a small Tunisian city? And how have local residents reacted to their new freedoms?

She kneels at her son's grave in the dust of the Tunisian steppes, a black hijab framing her deeply wrinkled face, as she rocks back and forth and speaks loudly to herself.

"God have mercy on your soul, and may your blood not have been shed in vain." A woman walks up to her and says: "You gave us a son who liberated us all."

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My Comment: When I first read about what had happened to Mohamed Bouazizi in January .... my blood just boiled. Anyone who runs a business (small or large) knows what it is like to deal with government officials who do not bend. But in Mohamed Bouazizi's case .... with few options to support his family .... he met his breaking point.

The Arab world has developed a culture of government corruption, nepotism, state involvement on every level of society, lack of freedoms, lack of jobs, lack of hope and opportunity on every level .... that when I reflect on their plight .... I know that while I would not commit suicide like Mohamed Bouazizi did, I would certainly be in the front of every demonstration that would be demanding change.

With revolution now sweeping throughout the Arab world .... change is finally coming .... my only worry is that at the end this change may produce a situation even worse than what it is before. My pessimism (or realism) is justified .... my nationality is Russian, and our revolution brought untold misery to tens of millions of Russians for over 70 years.