Unrest in the Middle East and Africa

The recent in some Middle Eastern and African nations, which include Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan, started because of a protest in Tunisia which forced it leader to step down. Tunisian's outsted president, Ben Ali, was suspected of pocketing money during his reign. His assets are currently frozen and are undergoing investigation.

Then came the protests in countries like Egypt and Jordan. Egyptian leader shut down internet communication networks to make it harder for rioters to plot attacks on the government. Google and Twitter then came up with a web-free way of "tweeting" in response to the move by the Egyptian government.

Most of these riots are instigated due to government leaders suspected of corruption. In a country, a clean government is essential. When any member of the government is corrupt, the government will lose the trust of the citizens. This may lead to foreign investors pulling out from the country for fear that a riot might break out, work stoppages might occur and these will affect the country's economy adversely.

For example, Singapore has a "clean" government and there have not been any reports on corruption activities taking place among politicians. This plays an important role in attracting MNCs during the early years after independence and even now. The "clean" Singapore government has contibuted to Singapore's success by gaining the trust of foreign companies.

From this incident, it also shows that a support from citizens for the government is vital for a successful country. If the government becomes too authoritarian or even authocratic, they will not garner the support of the citizen. Examples of such countries are North Korea and Myanmar. North Korea has a Communist government, which deprives many people of their rights. Although the citizens there do not dare to go on strike and oppose the government as the North's government imposed a law that states that offenders will be executed. However, one day, the citizens of North Korea, who are currently suffering under the strict Communist rule, may organise a strike against the government. There could be several causes that leads them to do so. They include the fact that the citizens are at the beck and call of the president and the president has the right to do order citizens to do anything, even if it is unreasonable and unjustifiable. Another instigating factor could be that the already-impoverished North Korea has devoted a large sum of money on military purposes. This causes the citizens to earn less money and results in starvation.
Myanmar has a similar ruling system in the sense that the government has the power to pass any law at their whim and fancy. The Junta governemnt of Myanmar is a military government and they have the right to take any action that they want against any citizens. For example, Aung San Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy figure and Nobel Peace Price Laurette, was detained for many years. It all started when Aung San Suu Kyi's party won an election decades ago. However, the then-ruling Junta government refused to step down and give up their position. Till now, the Junta has not given up power. Myanmar has also seen the negative effects. There is a great amount of exodus every year as the citizens are unhappy with the Myanmese government.