High Food Prices = Riots

The New England Complex Systems Institute generated a recent report "The Food Crises and Political Instability in North Africa and the Middle East" that shows a solid correlation between rising food prices in 2008 and 2011 and global riots. Here is a striking graphic from that report (click on image for larger version):

 

The black line shows the rising price of food over time. The red lines are when riots broke out around the world marked by the country (and in parentheses the related deaths). The blue line is when the institute reported their finding to the US government.

Source: Lagi, Bertrand, Bar-Yam, "The Food Crises and Political Instability in North Africa and the Middle East", New England Complex Systems Institute, http://arxiv.org/abs/1108.2455, viewed Sept. 26, 2011