Viva the great people of Egypt viva!

Apologies for the long silence in this blog! The last few months have been a busy time. I have been experimenting a bit with Twitter, where I have tweeted on a variety of topics, usually in quite a random way – experimenting with the medium. You can follow me on Twitter.

For the last few days I have been impressed by the resolution and determination of the people of Egypt. By holding firm, they have achieved their singular objective of ending the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak. They know well that the hard part lies ahead – building a new democratic system. It is hard not to see the coincidence between the birth of a new Egypt on 11th February and the release of Nelson Mandela 21 years ago to the day.

The change in Egypt raises much hope for wider change in the Middle East. At the time of writing, there is an upswell of protest also in Yemen, Algeria and Jordon. For too long the region has been ruled by kings, dictators and sheiks without regard for the will of the people. This lack of democracy in neighbouring countries has enabled Israel to avoid finding a lasting and peaceful solution to its relationship with the Palestinian people. A more democratic region will inevitably put pressure on Israel to find a new accommodation.