I thought I would just write down my thoughts regarding all the current “unrest” in the middle east,

although both fascinating and troubling this has been brewing for several decades (since before I
was born). I don’t wish to go into a history lesson but the west’s meddling in Middle Eastern affairs
has caused serious troubles for decades.

I am not a political theorist or a supporter for any country I just find it rather strange for western
countries to “prop” up regimes that routinely abuse human rights and subvert the will of the people.
This is now the 21st century, in Europe we talk about no more wars but war ravaged our section of
the world for over 100 years... Is this the start of the African/Arabian wars? Could this whole
situation put us in a position where WW3 occurs? Below I will highlight points for and against the
matter...

All of the opinions below are of entirely my own opinion and should not be constructed in any other
way.

The Connected Age

While it seems unconceivable to us in the western world that the world could possibly break out in a
large scale war again you have to remember that the vast majority of the population in the middle
east and Africa contain some of the world poorest inhabitants. Who often don’t have access to
water, food and anything else humans need to survive and thrive. Having visited several of these
countries I know firsthand that it is like looking back into a time capsule.... If you have ever seen
pictures of your local town 100 years ago it is likely many of these places look very much the same.

Whilst advances in modern technology has meant the world is connected in a way never seen before
it makes it easier for citizens of one “impoverished” country to see what they are missing out on,
never before in human history has it been possible to get minute by minute updates from volatile
places. The internet has been a main driver of this “connected age” where people in Africa watch
Western sitcoms and see for themselves how the rest of the world lives and western societies can
watch as riots and protest breakout, no longer do we have to wait until our governments or press
report them, we can find out for ourselves.

Knowledge used to be for the privileged, now anyone with an internet or mobile connection can find
out about almost any subject the world has known.. It used to be said “knowledge is power” ... over
the next few years (if not already) we will soon come to realise that the true fact is “access to
knowledge is power”... With the right skills anyone can access the knowledge they want and become
familiar it

Whilst some governments try to restrict access to knowledge it is a futile attempt to try to suppress
their population, the world is now connected in a way that is has never been seen before and there
is no shutting it down.

Autocratic, Dictators & Royalty

If you go back 200 years almost all of Europe was ruled by one of these titles. It wasn’t until Britain
and America setup various levels of “democracy” that is became prevalent that the common man &
woman had rights to choose their rulers, this became more democratic over the years with various
levels of society being granted the right to choose. However alot of people in the west don’t realise
this type of democratic shift has not happened elsewhere in the world. Things like human rights,
equality among sexes and a more equal split of wealth have not been realised, this will cause
significant upheaval in the world over the next two decades as our western society becomes more
visible to those in the poorest areas of the world.

As the world becomes more connected it is going to become difficult for autocratic regimes to keep
hold of heir population without denying them a democratic voice. These societies will either demand
reform or will simply vanish from existence.

The West’s Biggest Bonus

In this current age we are in uncharted times, there is no stopping what the human eye can see or
hear. The prevalent technologies of TV, Cell Phones and Internet have made it almost impossible to
stop the flow and storage of information.

The West invented and controls most of these technologies therefore it would be advantageous for
them to use these “tools” to influence foreign diplomacy... However this should be held to the
highest standard as has been proven nothing is “secure”, in this information age the best way to
keep something secret is not to have a secret at all, the people deserve to know.

The Western countries consume and manufacture so much technology that it is almost unbelievable
that we still live in a world where people cannot get clean water or food supplies, with only 1% of
every western governments annual budget we could cure hunger, thirst and several diseases like TB.
Yet we spend profligate amounts of money on things like high speed rail & military technology when
the poorest countries don’t even access to clean water.

Imagine a world where the western governments gave 1% of their annual budgets to infrastructure
projects in the poorer countries instead of directly to governments to whom eventually use the
funds to prop up their autocratic regimes for “western security purposes”

In the end Western politicians only have to worry about what their electorate think to keep them in
power. Our politicians should be thinking on a global level, imagine a world where everyone could
afford food and water, this would solve 90% of the worlds problems....This is possible without
genetic science; all it would take is for those at the top to release some power. I am reminded of
Lord Acton who said “absolute power corrupts” and it does, the same applies throughout the world.

Almost any Autocratic regime has a monopoly on the vital items for human society in their country
to evolve whether it’s the actual politics, food, energy or water.

So Whats the Problem?

If you live in the Western world then I can imagine you would think there really isn’t a problem in
the world... You probably think things like “Life is life” or “These things happen” etc... Whilst you
may be correct...If you think that 80% of the world’s most precious materials (oil, rare metals, gas
etc) are held up in autocratic regimes...It should then become obvious.
 A Prime example is Saudi Arabia who hold the largest oil reserves in the world yet they rule with an
iron fist, surely it should be upto the people of Saudi what to do with their oil not of a king who has
no democratic ruling, if you live in Texas and you discover oil in your back garden you are a
millionaire, yet if you’re a Saudi and discover the same thing you’re a political prisoner!

The problem with this is that western countries are quite happy to prop up a domestically unpopular
regime to get what they want in the “national interest”....When they don’t they declare war......As a
human society we have to ask ourselves have we passed the point of them against us? Or are we
united as one of the same species. Can we differ ourselves from every animal on the planet and act
together or will we meet the inevitable doom of every other animal and regress to our territorial
instincts?

So What about WW3?

I have refrained from mentioning any specific countries thus far and I will do again. However it is
technically impossible to have a society connected all over the world and for those in the poorest
areas to witness what is going on (in the west) and not want some of that for themselves, especially
those that are resource rich, as we advance in connecting the world it will become even more
difficult for autocratic regimes to hold onto power.

Whether it’s now or in 10 years times there will be revolution and its upto western governments to
ensure the smooth transition between these regimes otherwise we will see massive revolt against
western powers. As a Westerner I would like to see the governments of the western world do more
to push democratic reform and the rights of citizens, this is the only way forward.

As a westerner whose government regularly backs autocratic powers it seems strange to me that
these same people deny the rights that they wish their citizens to have to others of the same
species, after all aren’t we all the same in some way or another? Why should we agree with anything
but the majority rule? It’s the 20 billion people who decide the worlds destiny not 20 thousand
politicians.

So Can We Do It?
If you live in the western world then there is a chance you will have seen those nature
documentaries where lions/tigers/alligators/gorillas/pandas fight over territory. Are we just
following our basic animal instincts or are we beyond that? Like the Dinosaurs who acted individually
will be extinct before we care or will be rise above the challenge and come together as a united
society of humans?

That’s up to you..... Write to your politician, senator, president... Whatever... Tell them it’s the
people not them that are in charge.