To quote Bob Dylan, “there was music in the cafés at night and revolution in the air” (Tangled up in Blue). We’ve seen Tunisia discard its long-time strongman Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. And all week Egypt has seen street demonstrations and riots on a scale not seen in decades. It seems that the Middle East is seething with revolutionary fervor. But, these revolutions aren’t rooted in Islamism. Rather than the discarded underclass rising up, it is the nascent middle class that is taking to the streets (at least so far in Tunisia and Egypt). The chant is for democracy, not theocracy. These people are demanding a voice and a vote in the future of their country. Read more