democracy! or democracy?

Funnily, I have never really followed politics in the Middle East outside of the Palestine-Israel conflict. The last couple weeks have really inspired and caught my attention.

What I am finding fascinating, and anyone reading this is probably sick of hearing me talk about it, is the current conflict between democratic “idealism” and realpolitik. President Obama, who many feel has fallen short of expectations( although I disagree), is now caught between living up to his democratic ideals, satisfying popular dissent over job creation and a poor economy, and attempting to ensure that American strategic interests are not destroyed overnight in the wake of the many, many political happenings currently going on.

All evidence in Egypt suggests that a million people or more will soon be protesting in Cairo, as of today, protests are now being seen in Jordon, despite a new pm and cabinet being appointed by the king: the situation in Tunisia is also not yet solved. Coincidentally, Barack Obama is looking older by the day. Israel is having round the clock emergency meetings to deal with possible repercussions of ‘revolutionary’ democracy in the Middle East and the US is caught between its long-term goal of global democraticization, support of Israel, and ensuring that their energy security is protected.

At this stage, Obama, may be able to significantly impact the onset of global democracy, provided that he lends his voice to the cause. At this stage, he is already being criticized for failing to predict the outcome in Egypt and responding with clear support of the revolution.

Is Malaysia next?