Zvi Bar'el

About 10,000 Syrian police officers and soldiers seal off city of Daraa , after security forces killed at least 5 protesters there.

Egyptians vote in referendum on nine constitutional amendments.

Not only is Syria's Assad not at risk of falling victim to a revolution, but recent moves by neighbors to bring him into the fold have left him stronger than ever.

Group of Saudi intellectuals has already opened a petition on Facebook demanding to turn the kingdom into a constitutional monarchy and create division between the monarchy and the government.

At a time when the masses in the Middle East are mounting the barricades and demanding democracy, a book is published in Israel that assesses the view that Islam will prevail over the Western world. It goes without saying that the picture is more complex

Post-upheaval Egypt is having trouble creating jobs or feeding its hungry, a reality worsened by an influx of returnee workers fleeing Libya who will add to the swelling ranks of the unemployed.

Gadhafi's fall might break the country into tribal principalities, or local tribal coalitions that would jointly manage shared areas at best, or fight over control of resources at worst.

Artists seen by the masses to have supported Hosni Mubarak are now being blacklisted, a well-known process that follows any successful revolution.

The 'betrayal' reflected by the demonstrations cannot end with a dialogue or quiet transfer of power, because the Libyan regime is the leader himself.

The tiny island, home for 6,000 members of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, is indeed a paradise. If you're a Sunni Muslim or a foreigner, that is.

In its commitment to keep its promises to the protesters about constitutional changes, Egypt's army seems to have forgotten is the vow to change the Media Law.

As long the state of emergency in Egypt prevails, the military can manage affairs of state unfettered by any legal problem, dissolve parliament, call new elections and form a government far from being a civilian democracy.

With no heir apparent for post-upheaval Egypt, the U.S. is suddenly saying President Hosni Mubarak should stay in power long enough to oversee reforms.

Initially, the White House stressed that Mubarak must leave immediately, but they soon realized Egypt is not Tunisia.

As opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi makes a move, the Iranian regime is on alert.

Major opposition group has been largely absent from the uprising in Egypt, and it's unlikely to be leading the country anytime soon.

The Qatari news network has instigated a media revolution throughout the Arab world.

These appointments would have clearly been welcomed by the Egyptian public on any other day; now, however, the moves seem almost too little and too late.

Nearly 70 wealthy businessmen serve in Egypt's parliament today, but most of the criticism is directed at a handful of businessmen close to Mubarak.

The necessary constitutional revolution must start with new, free parliamentary elections, but such an election threatens not only the current regime but also the secular opposition.

Mubarak looks to the east and sees the worry in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, and the joy in Iran, and he knows that he is responsible for an entire era of dinosaurs.

After years of mounting tensions in the Arab world, Tunisia's revolution might help spark a better life in Lebanon and Egypt.

Previously, former Lebanon PM Hariri had said he would not take part in a Hezbollah-dominated coalition, but this resolute stance seemed to be cracking.

As the self-immolation-as-protest phenomenon spreads from Tunisia to Egypt, officials are scrambling to head off a revolution led by an increasingly desperate public.

Incoming Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati has the support of Saudi Arabia, Syria and France, so the United States will have a hard time opposing him.