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Post by movieliker on Jan 2, 2018 18:10:58 GMT
I think closed countries like Iran and other Arab kingdoms are in trouble. Because of the Internet, computers and smartphones. All these isolated ignorant citizens of these countries are now being exposed to the freedoms and opinions of the democratic west. They are not going to be happy hearing the lies of their governments. I believe the Arab Spring, and the protests in Russia and Iran are a result of modern technology.
What do you think?
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Post by Flying Monkeys on Jan 3, 2018 15:29:43 GMT
Yes absolutely, plus travel.
This is why North Korea blocks internet access, doesn't allow its citizens to travel and severely restricts (and follows around) inbound travellers.
This is how the USSR used to be. I remember when we saw inside for the first time and seeing the crappy Trabants and empty shops. It was like time travelling.
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Post by eastenn on Jan 3, 2018 16:02:03 GMT
Yes absolutely, plus travel. This is why North Korea blocks internet access, doesn't allow its citizens to travel and severely restricts (and follows around) inbound travellers. This is how the USSR used to be. I remember when we saw inside for the first time and seeing the crappy Trabants and empty shops. It was like time travelling. Spend three months in Guatemala. |
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Post by slowcomingwarbird on Jan 3, 2018 18:04:33 GMT
Yes absolutely, plus travel. This is why North Korea blocks internet access, doesn't allow its citizens to travel and severely restricts (and follows around) inbound travellers. This is how the USSR used to be. I remember when we saw inside for the first time and seeing the crappy Trabants and empty shops. It was like time travelling. You seem to be speaking of Russia in terms of "was" like you seem to think that Russia is no longer a problem. Yet you fail to see that Communism wasn't so much the issue as the fact that Russia never had an age of enlightenment and are still stuck in a medieval dark ages social mentality, which combined with modern technology is very dangerous to the rest of the world. You have the same sort of situation with North Korea and the entire middle east. Iraq, North Korea, and Russia are all under sanctions and are all running out of food. Those countries are becoming desperate enough to cooperate and trade supplies and technologies with each other towards the end of Iraq and North Korea becoming fully nuclear ICBM capable nations. |
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Post by Flying Monkeys on Jan 3, 2018 18:15:42 GMT
You seem to be speaking of Russia in terms of "was" like you seem to think that Russia is no longer a problem. I am speaking about the USSR in terms of "was" because it no longer exists. Russia is a problem and will continue to be for a very long time, imo. |
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Post by movieliker on Jan 3, 2018 19:37:50 GMT
You seem to be speaking of Russia in terms of "was" like you seem to think that Russia is no longer a problem. I am speaking about the USSR in terms of "was" because it no longer exists. Russia is a problem and will continue to be for a very long time, imo. I agree. But I think the presence of the Internet will be more of a problem for Russia than free democracies. And the Internet is a benefit to the Russian people. |
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Post by Flying Monkeys on Jan 3, 2018 19:44:44 GMT
I agree. But I think the presence of the Internet will be more of a problem for Russia than free democracies. And the Internet is a benefit to the Russian people. I also agree. The internet enables freedom of information, freedom being something western democracies have at their core. Places like Russia still want to exercise control over their people. They are wired very differently to us and it will take many, many generations for that to change. |
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Post by movieliker on Jan 3, 2018 20:09:48 GMT
I agree. But I think the presence of the Internet will be more of a problem for Russia than free democracies. And the Internet is a benefit to the Russian people. I also agree. The internet enables freedom of information, freedom being something western democracies have at their core. Places like Russia still want to exercise control over their people. They are wired very differently to us and it will take many, many generations for that to change. I think the Internet will speed up change in countries that are not democracies. Most of those countries want to control information. That will be hard to do with the presence of the Internet. Their populace will get angry once they find out how much better things are in free democracies. And if they have nothing to lose, they won't be afraid to risk it all for change. |
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Post by Flying Monkeys on Jan 3, 2018 22:44:04 GMT
I think the Internet will speed up change in countries that are not democracies. Most of those countries want to control information. That will be hard to do with the presence of the Internet. Their populace will get angry once they find out how much better things are in free democracies. And if they have nothing to lose, they won't be afraid to risk it all for change. Indubitably. That's what's happening in Iran now. It's only a matter of time before the religious nuts are thrown out of government. |
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Post by ebuzzmiller on Jan 4, 2018 0:41:18 GMT
I also agree. The internet enables freedom of information, freedom being something western democracies have at their core. Places like Russia still want to exercise control over their people. They are wired very differently to us and it will take many, many generations for that to change. I think the Internet will speed up change in countries that are not democracies. Most of those countries want to control information. That will be hard to do with the presence of the Internet. Their populace will get angry once they find out how much better things are in free democracies. And if they have nothing to lose, they won't be afraid to risk it all for change. Well yes, but it's also why the most authoritarian states censor or limit the internet to maintain it's position. |
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Post by ebuzzmiller on Jan 4, 2018 0:46:54 GMT
Personally on Iran I believe this isn't going to end in a full-blown counter-revolution to how things were in 1978, but more a recalibration towards something more like Turkey.
I mean that's if Khamenei has any sense and doesn't just clamp down hard like in 2009. If that happens get ready for a bloody civil war.
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Post by ayatollah on Jan 4, 2018 0:52:17 GMT
You mean people in those countries are getting lots of western propaganda, in amounts large enough to finally start to drown out their home grown variety.
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Post by ayatollah on Jan 4, 2018 1:07:09 GMT
Yes absolutely, plus travel. This is why North Korea blocks internet access, doesn't allow its citizens to travel and severely restricts (and follows around) inbound travellers. This is how the USSR used to be. I remember when we saw inside for the first time and seeing the crappy Trabants and empty shops. It was like time travelling. You seem to be speaking of Russia in terms of "was" like you seem to think that Russia is no longer a problem. Yet you fail to see that Communism wasn't so much the issue as the fact that Russia never had an age of enlightenment and are still stuck in a medieval dark ages social mentality, which combined with modern technology is very dangerous to the rest of the world. You mean to say 70 years of socialism wasn't an age of enlightenment? Have you considered that maybe you're being groomed by the powers that be in your own country to look down on these nations in order to justify their own imperialist desires? Isn't it odd to you that when immigrants come to the US we must respect their traditions, we cant so much as *think* they're backwards, but when we are talking about these foreigners in their own countries its fine to denounce their backward ways, their lack of an enlightenment, etc.? Seems to me that's opposite of how it ought to be. Here its our culture which ought to reign supreme, and our history that should teach the lessons for the present/future, and what they do in their homelands should be treated with a live and let live attitude. The biggest threat to the world are globalists who want to create a world of caramel colored people with a Post-western, Disneyfied culture. I hope Trump defeats these people and makes peace with Russia, Iran and North Korea. [/quote] |
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Post by Harold of Whoa on Jan 4, 2018 1:16:08 GMT
I think closed countries like Iran and other Arab kingdoms are in trouble. Because of the Internet, computers and smartphones. All these isolated ignorant citizens of these countries are now being exposed to the freedoms and opinions of the democratic west. They are not going to be happy hearing the lies of their governments. I believe the Arab Spring, and the protests in Russia and Iran are a result of modern technology. What do you think? The odd counterpoint to your theory is that Iran was one of the most educated and modern countries in the Middle East in the '70s, but that didn't keep them from taking one of the most regressive theocrats of the century as their Supreme Leader. They overthrew the Shah, and in replacing him they installed a group of 12th Century head choppers who were every bit as brutal, repressive and autocratic as the Shah, just more backward and anti-Western. But, yeah, smartphones. |
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Post by movieliker on Jan 4, 2018 3:25:33 GMT
I think closed countries like Iran and other Arab kingdoms are in trouble. Because of the Internet, computers and smartphones. All these isolated ignorant citizens of these countries are now being exposed to the freedoms and opinions of the democratic west. They are not going to be happy hearing the lies of their governments. I believe the Arab Spring, and the protests in Russia and Iran are a result of modern technology. What do you think? The odd counterpoint to your theory is that Iran was one of the most educated and modern countries in the Middle East in the '70s, but that didn't keep them from taking one of the most regressive theocrats of the century as their Supreme Leader. They overthrew the Shah, and in replacing him they installed a group of 12th Century head choppers who were every bit as brutal, repressive and autocratic as the Shah, just more backward and anti-Western. But, yeah, smartphones. Yes, but things are not working in Iran. That is why their are protests. |
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