The Egyptians weren’t the first peoples in the Arab world to rise up against an oppressive government in 2011. Before that Facebook group was made, the people of Tunisia rose up against their (now former) president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, kicked him out, and have had an acting president since mid-December.

Egypt got so much attention because of the sheer scale of the protests, the millions that marched and demanded democracy, and the fact that they are a major receiver of U.S. aid. But now, as Part I of Egypt’s fight for freedom has come to a close, several of its Arab counterparts are learning from it and Tunisia’s example.

Here is a list of the top five countries (in no particular order) in the Middle-East facing a major uprising against oppression and for democracy. And you can bet, a lot of it will be organized on Facebook and Twitter.

1. Tunisia

Just like in Egypt, this fight isn’t over. It all started when Mohammed Bouazizi lit himself on fire, an act of self-immolation that has been emulated in other countries as a symbol of governmental oppression and humiliation. Now, even though Ben Ali has stepped down, Tunisians are protesting against high food prices and high unemployment, and are trying to put together a reliable temporary government until a free and fair election is held later this year for the first time since Ali took office in 1987.

2. Bahrain

Bahrain has an overwhelming Shiite majority that wants more of a say in governmental procedures and a larger share of economic opportunities. They want their king Sheikh Hamid bin Isa al-Khalifa to rewrite the country’s constitution to include those amendments, and an end to the 39-year reign of prime minister Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa (the uncle of the king). Add that to concerns over corruption, torture and the jailing of 500 presumably innocent Shiites last year and Bahraini’s have plenty to protest against. The government has tried to stop protesters by offering each family nearly $2,700 each, but this movement can’t be bought. There have been clashes between protesters and pro-government forces here, too. Forces fired on the funeral procession for a fallen protester in the capital Manama early Feb. 15, and killed at least one person, Al Jazeera reports.

3. Iran

We all remember the green revolution; the 2009 uprising after the results of a disputed election that put President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad back in power. But now that fire has been rekindled, thanks largely to Egypt’s success in overthrowing Hosni Mubarak, and Iranians are now back in the streets. Ironically, after Mubarak was overthrown, Ahmadinejad’s government supported the protesters, but are now banning their own people from voicing their opinions in the streets of Tehran. There were many clashes in Tehran on February 14th, as police used tear gas to disperse protesters who were chanting “death to a dictator,” in reference to Ahmadinejad. Iranians aren’t happy at their country’s hypocrisy, and while the people obviously support the Egyptian cause, they can hardly believe their government’s words of encouragement.

4. Algeria

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been in power since 1999, when he was elected amidst widespread allegations of fraud, as several candidates pulled out just before election day. This one is for democracy, much like Egypt’s, and on Feb. 13 hundreds of Algerian protesters were met by thousands of police who were deployed to stop the protest. The people want a legitimate government and an end to the state of emergency that has plagued the country for almost two decades, which President Bouteflika said he’d lift soon, according to Al Jazeera. Bouteflika also promised Algerians more political freedom, but that hasn’t stopped them from organizing a massive protest set for Feb. 19.

5. Yemen

Monday, Feb. 14 marked the fourth straight day of protests in the country, but the first day of major clashes between the people and the police. During a sit-in at Sanaa University, hundreds of protesters clashed with pro-government forces, where at least 17 were injured and 165 arrested. President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he would not run for re-election in 2013, but that hasn’t been enough to stop Yemenis from airing their grievances in the street. This protest is of special concern to the U.S., as the New York Times reports the movement has spread because of the president’s relationship with the U.S., and possibly his role in covering U.S. involvement in trying to eliminate the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda.

None of the above uprisings have reached numbers anywhere close to what was happening in Egypt. However many of the country’s populations are smaller and many of the protests are still in their infancies. Amazingly, these aren’t the only Mid-East countries rising up. Here are a list of countries and corresponding dates for their next planned major protests (via twitter user @Blindust): Libya Feb. 17, Morocco Feb. 20, Cameroon Feb. 23, Kuwait March 8.

Along with these, the people of Jordan, Syria and Sudan are standing up to governments they see as illegitimate.

For a near constant stream of updates on the situation in the Mid-East, you can watch Al Jazeera English live on their website by clicking here.

The 2009 G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy was a massive letdown. Personally, I didn’t expect much more. The G8 operates under the guise of real leadership, when really the summit has become nothing more than a glorified vacation for the world’s most powerful leaders. But as we’ve seen in the past and present, power does not equal intelligence.

Empty threats were issued toward political powers in Iran. The very foundation of democracy is threatened in the divided country, but the world’s “saviors” offered nothing.

The strong foundation of the worldwide economic recession shook not one bit; no economic plans were laid out. In the worst economic crisis in about 80 years, the richest offered no solutions.

In perhaps the largest disappointment of the summit the leaders made such a wavering, uncommitted “commitment” to climate change, simply declaring that the eight superpowers had agreed to “substantially reducing global emissions by 2050.” Weak. Those who have been lambasted and forced to be environmentally-friendly were flipped off by their own leaders.

The plan drafted in L’Aquila, according to the LA Times, specifies no real interim targets either, just that global emissions reduction progress will be reviewed every so often.

Sadly enough, the recession will hinder climate control progress as well as the ability of developing countries to adapt to changes that have already occurred. Some groups predict that as much as $150 billion is needed every year to aid regions in developing countries that have already been affected by climate change. No one has that money, and may not any time soon since no solid economic revisions were drafted.

Other countries have demanded the G8 dramatically reduce their emissions by as much as 40 per cent. From these eight leaders however, there was no urgency. No commitment. No sense.

In 2010, the leaders meet in Muskoka, Ontario. By then, even more criticism will be launched their way. Hopefully it knocks some sense into them.

Hunger and malnutrition are serious issues in African society. Several African nations shamefully boast outrageous starvation and poverty rates, however there are parts of one nation that are in even worse shape. India.

Labelled as a “national shame” by its own prime minister, India’s malnutrition rates are rising during unprecedented economic growth. Perhaps that is the problem, the middle class and rich get richer, while the poor stay poor and in some cases, get even poorer.

Its neighbor, China, is experiencing a similarly remarkable economic advancement. But they’ve used their new money to help reduce malnutrition in several areas, reducing the number of children under the age of five who are suffering from starvation to seven per cent, one of the major forms of measurement of malnutrition.

In India, a shocking 42.5 per cent of children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition, a number that reveals a severe governmental failure.

As Somini Sengupta reports in the New York Times, there is no easy explanation for this problem. There are several contributing factors though: a disconnect between a large democratic government and the people who need it most, a lack of money being spent on children’s nutrition programs, and an overall negligent attitude towards health programs.

The Times reports that while India runs the largest child feeding program in the world, the program is severely flawed. India’s soup kitchens set up in low-income neighbourhoods help, but do not provide the nutrition necessary for pregnant women and children under two.

To its credit, India does ensure all children are immunized for preventable disease, however, malnutrition can make one more susceptible to diseases that could be prevented by nutrition. Malnutrition can also hinder development and growth for life, preventing Indian children from reaching their full intellectual and physical potentials.

India has a lot to do to fix its hunger problem, and it won’t happen soon. The first thing would be to make health a top priority among government again. The prime minister calls the situation a‚ ”national shame.” He can begin to reverse the trend, if only he could make his government operate like a democracy that acts on its words.