In December of 2010, the world watched Tunisia bravely united, lighting the spark of revolution. By January 2011, Tunisia's longtime President, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, had been ousted. The flame of revolution spread to Egypt, swiftly igniting a fire so hot and strong in the hearts of of the Egyptian people protesters camped for 18 days in Cairo's Tahir Square as President Hosni Mubarak played an emotional game of chess with his country, ending with Mubarak in checkmate and a jubilant and free Egypt. One by one, like dominoes, countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East joined together in protests and acts of civil disobedience to try their luck in the game of democracy.
What is amazing is that on December 16th 1989, the same hunger for freedom, the same passion, and yearning for basic human rights being witnessed in the current uprisings, took place almost exactly 12 years ago in Timisoara, Romania. The Romanian Revolution violently claimed over 1,000 lives. It will be very interesting to be in Romania, while events that shaped the country are unfolding in the Middle East.
Of particular note, we are in a similar situation play out in Libya. As history is being written and the quest for democracy continues, it is paramount, we as humans learn from our mistakes and take the time to remember the darker tones of the human story.
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