The Pipes Rule of Arab Elections

Offered on the occasion of the "first free" elections in Tunisia:

If you know the result ahead of time, you are voting for the real powerbroker. If you don't know the result in advance, then you are voting for a position that hardly matters.

(October 23, 2011)

May 23, 2012 update: In the swirl of unpredictability as Egyptians vote today for what is billed as their "first free election in 5,000 years," reiterate my point above, that the more uncertain the outcome, the less powerful the position really is.

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