Domino Theory II

In the 1960s and 1970s, politicians and academics came up with something called "the domino theory." It held that if one weak government in Asia got overrun by communists, its small neighbors would follow in short order.

Advocates of American military action in Vietnam often used the domino theory as one reason our troops needed to be there. It turned out that when Vietnam finally fell to the communists in 1975, few of its neighbors went through the same transformation.

Over the long run, Vietnam's communist government imitated China in joining the global economy. The nation may have a communist government, but it is run by a bunch of closet capitalists, eager to make money.

But the events of the past few weeks in northern Africa make it seem like the domino theory has a far better chance of playing out as originally envisioned.

In January, the president of Tunisia fled the country in the wake of growing demonstrations. This month, a larger and more stable government fell when longtime Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resigned after days of public protests.

The protests are spreading. Significant disruptions are occurring in the small Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain, in Egypt's next-door neighbor Libya and in Yemen, at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula.

The running theme behind the protests appears to be a growing eagerness to remove a longtime leader, typically blamed for ruthless, corrupt and despotic behavior.

If the dominoes keep falling, the big question is what kind of people the new leaders will be.

- Enterprise-Journal, McComb, Miss.