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It was an incendiary mix alright but few wouldhave predicted that it would explode in 2011and result in the tumult that came in its wake.The tyrants that ruled much of the Middle Eastcertainly did not as they began the year securein the belief that God was in heaven and all waswell in their little worlds they had brutallyshaped around them.

It required only a tiny spark in Tunisia causedby a vegetable seller, Mohamed Bouazizi immo-lating himself in protest in the dying days of2010, to ignite an unprecedented democraticrebellion that spread with astonishing rapidityacross much of the Middle East. By the springof 2011, uprisings had begun to topple manydespots that bestrode the Arab stage for decades.

While the year saw scientists come close tooverthrowing Einsteins theory of relativity bydemonstrating that neutrinos travel faster thanthe speed of light, it was the Arab square thatproved that there were no constants. The fire inTunisia spread to Yemen where riots broke outover unemployment and food shortages. Bythen the Tunisian President, the smooth-talkingZine el Abidine Ben Ali had to flee his country

in disgrace. Yemeni President Ali AbdullahSaleh agreed to step down, ending 33 years ofhis despotic rule.

Technology did help fan the flames in Egyptresulting in Cairos Tahrir Square becoming thesymbol of the Facebookrevolution that delet-ed Hosni Mubarak. Muammar Gaddafi, whohad ruled Libya with an iron fist for over 40years, was hunted by his countrymen and shotdead in a sewer like a desert rat, an ignomin-ious end to the regions longest serving ruler.

As the contagion spread, the royal rulers ofSaudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan feltthe searing heat as did Syria. Many of themwere forced to make concessions that they haddenied their people for decades. Saudi Arabiagave women the right to vote and to hold pub-lic office but stopped short of allowing themlicences to drive cars. By year-end, the 2011uprisings had changed the face of Middle Eastfor good. A new order was emerging but the

fog of change cast a shroud over what finalshape it would take.

That fog had descended on the rest of theworld too in 2011. In the US, President BarackObama reached the nadir of his popularity afterfailing to lift his nation out of a recession thateven saw an Occupy Wall Street movementbreak out. In Russia, Vladimir Putin waswarned that he couldnt take his people forgranted. Europe struggled to control financialchaos triggered by the Greek default crisis thatthreatened to unravel the European Union.

Back home, India was also in the throes of amajor upheaval. Edmund Burke wrote that apopulace never rebels from passion for attack,but for impatience of suffering. That impa-tience was most evident when Anna Hazare, aseptuagenarian social activist, recreating theimagery of a Gandhian uprising, occupiedDelhis Ram Lila grounds to wage an epic bat-tle against venality in governance.

Public anger in India fortunately did notexhibit what the surprise Tamil hit song calledkolaveri (murderous rage) as in the Middle East.But caught with its hand in the 2G till, themighty UPA government underestimated theangst over corruption and went down on itsknees to placate civil society.

Asked to define a rebel, Albert Camus crypti-cally said: Its a person who says no. In 2011,populace across the world, including India,came out in vast numbers to empathically saynot just no but no more that enough wasenough. They were not satisfied by creating lit-tle rebellions that Thomas Jefferson believedwere a good thing now and thenfor the soundhealth of government. In an instant world, thepublic wanted instant change here and now however chaotic the result. There was no nor-mal. Change then was the constant. It is for thesereasons that the editors of The Tribune decidedto term 2011 as the year of uprisings.

I N S I D E >>NATIONPeople power to the foreThe campaign against corruption, scandalsbrought a whiff of fresh air to democracy P2

Shadow on KarmapaThe HP Police filed a chargesheet againstthe 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorjee P3

Shaken & stirredThe UPA government was bogged down byscams, scandals and leadership deficit

At sixes and sevensThe Law Ministry failed to defend govern-ment policies effectively in the SC P4

Band of ladiesSonia, Mayawati, Jayalalithaa and

Mamata called the shots in their respective spheres of influence P5

STATESFaith, caste, progenyPunjab in poll mode, caste trouble inHaryana and son rise in Himachal

Return of a war horseThe General returns to Uttarakhand asPokhriyal is forced to resign P6

Excuse me while I kiss the skyThe Airport Metro started, while New Delhicelebrated its centenary

Dividends of peacePeace in J&K enabled the state to have abooming tourist season P7

General trouble Loss of face of the Pak army and droneattacks kept AF-Pak simmering P10

Spring of discontent Unrest in Tunisia spread to Arab nations P11

DEFENCE/SCITECHAn avoidable war withinAll was not well on the Indian defence scene

The world in your handComputing became mainstream withAakash P12

SPORTSThe roar of successFrom World Cup to Formula One, the sports

scene was full of excitement P13

SOCIETY(Not) fit to printThe liberal use of profanities and cuss wordsin many films topped the charts

Walking toughDespite the controversial Slutwalk, the gender scene remained a grey area P14

BOOKS & BEYONDDesi, with a 'phoren' touchReaders took to memoirs as well as fiction

The entertainersSunny Leone emerged as India's mostGoogled celebrity P15

THE YEAR OF UPRISINGS2011IN EGYPT POPULAR REVOLT OUSTED HOSNI MUBARAK IN INDIA CIVIL SOCIETY TOOK ON CORRUPTIONIN LIBYA MUAMMAR GADDAFI WAS HUNTED AND SHOT IN THE US PEOPLE ROSE AGAINST WALL STREET

SUNDAY 25 DECEMBER 2011 YEAREND SPECIAL

N all chaos there is a cosmos,in all disorder a secret order,Carl Jung observed. Therewasnt much of a cosmos when2011 dawned. There was acertain order in the universe butit was neither harmonious norwhole. There was the hangoverof a debilitating worldwideeconomic recession, unfinishedwars in Afghanistan and Iraq,an unstable North Koreaflexing its nuclear muscle, awobbling Pakistan and in India,the ruling United ProgressiveAlliance (UPA) had begunfraying at the edges.

I

THE FOG OFCHANGEBy Raj ChengappaEditor-in-Chief

The Tribune

2011 saw populace across the world, including India, rise in protest against misgovernance and corruption,shaking governments and toppling regimes. A perspective of personalities and events that shaped the year

ECONOMYHope on holdSlow growth rate and policy glitches souredthe economic scenario

The gloom boomBusiness confidence dipped this year P8

DIPLOMACYLove thy neighbourTies with neighbours improved but therewere hardly any gains with major powers P9

WORLDPakistan on the boil The nation saw floods, bad economy and abreakdown in ties with the US

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