The Contagion – Oman joins the protests with peaceful demonstrations for now, Burma readying for its own show down

Oman protests peaceful so far Unlike protests in Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia and Bahrain, the Oman demonstrations have so far been peaceful. Demonstrators carried signs with slogans of support for Oman's Sultan Qaboos, but asked for reforms, including lower prices and better pay.

Oman Crude Rises Above $100 for First Time Since September 2008 Oman crude oil futures, a Persian Gulf benchmark for Asia, rose to over $100 a barrel on concerns that political demonstrations in Libya may disrupt supplies.

WHY ARE THERE NO PROTESTS IN BURMA? There are now popular protests all across the Middle East, including in Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Morocco, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, and Syria. Further afield, there are protests in Albania, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Haiti, and elsewhere.
Almost uniformly, the protests are pro-democracy. The goal is to force out tyrannical rulers and through this, to obtain freedom and human rights.