Events are
unfolding very rapidly in the Middle East. Hundreds of thousands of protesters are in the streets of Cairo today. This slide show from the New York Times gives an inkling of the scale of the protest. King Abdullah II of Jordan dissolved his government today in response to protests in his own country as well as Egypt. The continued high unemployment rates in these countries and the lack of opportunity for most citizens is the driving force behind these protests. While the Muslim Brotherhood has long tried to take down Mubarak’s regime, this protest is about much more than a theocratic takeover of the government. Laura’s post from last week refers to the universal desire for freedom.