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is on course to emerge as the first solid multiparty Arab democracy.

the worst thing is, we're not just seeing Europeans getting lazy and cynical in starting to change their earlier bets against authoritarian regimes in the face of popular revolt. Now we're seeing them look at places like Tunisia and Egypt — where dictators have already been toppled by the people — and figuring we'll probably wind up dealing with new authoritarian regimes once democracy fails to pan out.

Those calling for new support seem to forget that the deposed regimes already received plenty of international aid finance. Under the aegis of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, they presided over elaborate privatisation and reform programmes, which benefited those close to power but did little to help the wider population. In truth the regimes tended to use this support to strengthen their rule, building state security apparatuses and creating kleptocratic governments accountable only to their foreign bankrollers.

Generous aid programmes mean leaders do not need to please their citizens, or gain their trust to secure power; they can instead use donor money to build a security state and buy off their opposition.

A year ago, BART might have gotten away with the move with less public outcry. But in the wake of the Arab Spring, any police action in the West that conjures up images of censorship in the Middle East will inevitably alarm Americans. Along with reaction to the riots in the UK, the BART incident has awoken many people to the reality that technology creates complex new means of censorship anywhere in the world.

a Western instinct to personalize and, in the process, trivialize the Tunisian revolution – only to ignore it as the focus moved on to later rebellions in countries deemed more important

"Now they are offering all kinds of help to Libya, which is already a rich country. Here, we get nothing. The economic situation just gets worse, and we wonder why we risked so much in rising up against Ben Ali and his gangsters."

They are angry because things are not improving fast

The Swiss are sending advisors to help the countries formulate their requests. 

Concretely, Egypt and Tunisia must provide Switzerland with examples of abuses of power or the theft of public funds and subsequent deposits into Swiss accounts. Bank account numbers and credit card details should also be shared. 

“an impenetrable wall of bureaucracy” for these countries, according to Hasni Abidi, director of the Geneva-based Study and Research Center for the Arab and Mediterranean World.  

Ghassan Michel Rubeiz, a social scientist and political commentator, is the former secretary of the Middle East for the Geneva-based World Council of Churches.

 il n'y a pas deux mouvements qui se ressemblent 

La Tunisie semble mieux s'en sortir que l'Égypte où la transition « connaît un certain enlisement », estime-t-il : l'armée au pouvoir semble vouloir se contenter d'un « changement de façade ».

en Jordanie, note Antoine Basbous, « les difficultés de la monarchie sont plus importantes et il s'agit d'un pays entouré de voisins en crise