On Revolution

As Libya goes up in flames, and people around the world (well, on Twitter and on various websites) cheer on the fall of the terrible regime there, I'd like - in my curmudgeonly, doom-mongering way - to sound another word of caution. There can be no doubt that Gaddafi is an utter cunt who is ripe for being turfed out of the corridors of power. However, this truth does not automatically mean that the regime that follows him will be any better (assuming he does actually fall). After all, Iran had a revolution against a despot in 1979 - and we haven't stopped having problems with Iran since.

Which is my point, in a nutshell: a revolution against a despot may be welcome, but that doesn't mean that whatever follows will automatically be better than said despot.