Street Revolutions Are Fun To Watch, But They Don’t Necessarily Result In Democracies

Anne Applebum on Tunisia’s Jasmine revolution:

Street demonstrations can unexpectedly bring extremists into power, as they did in Iran in 1979. They can create unrealistic expectations and then unravel, as did the Orange Revolution that began in Ukraine in 2004. And they can end badly, with reactionary violence, like the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square.

By contrast, the most successful transitions to democracy are often undramatic. Consider Spain, after the death of Franco; Chile, after the resignation of Pinochet; Poland, which negotiated its way out of communism; all of these democratic transitions dragged on, created few spectacular photographs — and ultimately led to stable political systems.

Good point. This also concurs with my own experiences so far. In the two countries where I lived, Lebanon had a photogenic revolution that fizzled out, while Ghana had a boring transition to democracy because a military autocrat decided to give way.

But so far the Tunisians appear to be behaving sensibly, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.