Loss of regime legitimacy

Comrade Talal sent me this: "What is most surprising is how quickly the entire apparatus of governance breaks down once the legitimacy of the state governance becomes in doubt. I mean, no police, no judiciary, nothing, and in 4 days! During the US presidential crisis of 2000, the state structures themselves were hardly affected. In contrast, Tunisia and Egypt provide example of how decayed the power base is. It is a function of all centralized state structures that once the legitimacy of the top leadership is question, all comes down."