Prediction - HOW WILL IT END?

Tunisia started a revolution in the Arab World. How will it end?

The most reliable way to forecast an answer to this question is to look back at other revolutions in other countries and compare what is comparable and use the differences to make quesses.

Unrest caused by poor economic conditions that have led to two-class societies where power is held by an upper class protected by well-fed loyal armies, and the lower classes suffer deprivation in their lives and have been powerless to change their condition. Powerless until the masses are ignited by a unifying act by one of their own or by some egregious act by the masters of their existence.

The revolution takes place and the portraits on the walls of the houses of power are changed. Some careless oligarchs lose their heads and some lucky ones, with their families, are wafted away by fellow power brokers in foreign lands. With the change, grievances are addressed and economies manipulated to raise the standard of living of the masses - at relatively low cost to the power elites - and just enough to pacify the revolutionaries. New laws are put into place that provide the appearance of equality. The equality is not of power but rather of pacifiers.

So it was with the French, American, and Russian revolutions. So it was with the removal of the Shaw of Iran and the deportation of Idi Amin. So it is with the Chiness revolution. AND SO IT WILL BE WITH THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION.

And that is how it will end. With hollow voting power, increased standard of living from abject poverty to food pacification, honking horns of patriotism and calls of religionists to heed the opium words of God.

The rich will get richer and the poor will get children.