Larbi Sadiki, senior lecturer in Middle East Politics at University of Exeter made the following comments: Regions in N Africa have been preparing to fight radical Islam and were caught unawares by the millions of educated youth who make up a large portion of the region's population. The policing, equipment, funding, expertise and anti-terror philosophy being fed to Algeria, Libya, Morocco, etc were geared towards fighting the radical Islamists. But from Tunisia and Algeria in the Maghreb to Jordan and Egypt in Arab east, the real terror consuming self-worth, sabotaging community and marriages is the terror of socio-economic marginalisation. When oppression becomes too heavy and politically costly for a government, bargains begin, including promises of jobs and policy, reversals of food price increase and even scapegoats in the form of ministerial dismissals. This is where Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt are today. But dissidents have not infiltrated governments or built political power bases to enable a ‘velvet revolution in the Arab world. Ben Ali is weak and has now fled to Saudi Arabia and the party and army that protected him is withdrawing loyalty as the crisis deepens.

Pray: for the birth of a democratic system to grow out of the current chaos. (Is.14:32)

More: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/01/201111413424337867.html