Arab spring took British intelligence by surprise, report says
Source: The Guardian
Britain's intelligence agencies were surprised by the Arab spring, and their failure to realise unrest would spread so rapidly may reveal a lack of understanding of the region, according to the parliamentary body set up to scrutinise their activities.
A particularly sharp passage of the intelligence and security committee's (ISC) report describes as "ill-considered" an attempt by MI6 to smuggle into Libya two officers who were promptly seized by rebels.
The report says that at the time the Arab spring erupted, both MI6 and GCHQ, the government's electronic eavesdropping centre, were cutting resources devoted to Arab countries.
The criticism of MI6's attitude is all the more significant given the agency's traditional close ties with the Arab world.
The ISC, chaired by the former Conservative foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, said it was understandable that the intelligence agencies were taken by surprise, "as indeed were the governments in the countries affected".
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/12/arab-spring-british-intelligence-report
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accepted.
Turns out they are exactly like most other folks in the world. They like having some rights and some input into who forms their government. Who would have thunk it? 
