Juan Cole on the Presidential Elections

This article was introduced to me recently via blogger Sphinx and I've been looking forward to reading Juan Cole's take on the presidential elections - indeed I enjoyed reading it and appreciate his take on Mubarak's crushing power and the historical background. Keep it. What he fails though is what he is setting out to do: he is criticizing the idea of an 'Arab spring', e.g. democratization following international pressure and the war on terror. That discussion is always welcome. 'Spring' is a punch-line, no one should hold such expectations, at least not yet. But we can't deny the changes in many neighboring nations either; put together they form a picture that is different from how it looked a few years ago. It is too early to say how fast things will change; it may not change much at all. But for now, the fragments are speaking progress that shouldn't be overrated or denied. For one observer’s personal account that isn't far off the mark and that was published today, read this. The problem with Cole is that he doesn't even try to analyze this country's recent events in a regional perspective. Still, worth the time reading if you're not familiar with recent political events or the parliamentary history.