Very interesting report, and I welcome the implication that you see the relevance of events in a place like Egypt for democracy in the U.S. All Americans should understand that what is happening today in Egypt, Brazil, and Turkey is important for our own civil liberties [for details of this argument: http://shadowedforest1000.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2460&action=edit&message=6&postpost=v2].
Briefly, one can point to several assumptions made by ruling elites everywhere (anyone know of a single exception???):
1. anyone who criticizes the government or exposes leaders to embarrassment (e.g., by blowing whistles) is an enemy;
2. transparency in government is the worst threat and must always be opposed;
3. democracy is a great way to get power but should be thrown away as fast as possible once one actuallys gets into office;
4. laws should be made by officials and corporate leaders chatting quietly behind locked doors;
5. the police exist to enforce Assumptions 1-4.
I honestly do not think very many Americans really agree with the above. If they did, then the Occupy Movement would have brought a million people onto the streets, and a lot of financial criminals would be in jail rather than continuing to make millions by defrauding American citizens. I wonder how we might get this message across and how we might clarify for Americans how the political battles in Brazil, Egypt, and Turkey impact us. At its core, democracy is about teaching everyone that the struggle for freedom is about underlying principles--transparency in government, officials and police as public servants.
FYI, for a nice example of how the elite tips the playing field in their favor to get rich from corruption, see Bloomberg's summary of financial corruption by big corporations in Brazil: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-10/world-cup-billionaire-stirs-brazil-protests-over-stadiums.html. Does this remind anyone of anything?
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