The resignations of Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik from their posts, the expansion of the support in favor of the Libyan revolution on the domestic and international levels, the widening of the protests against the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen and the deepening of the demands of the Bahraini opposition, marked the headlines of the events during the last few days. When we add to the latter the possible expansion of the movements demanding reforms to Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere, it looks as though a great accumulation of illusions has started collapsing, while the dust covering everyone will unleash new ones. Delusional are those who think that the momentum of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions can be contained, as it was revealed by the toppling of Ghannouchi and Shafik. Delusional are those who think that the media structures of the two former regimes will be spared from accountability, as it is believed for example by some opportunists in the Egyptian press who have changed their position from one bluntly calling for the crushing and burning of the demonstrators in Tahrir Square to one asking forgiveness and seeking the blessings of the revolution, within less than 24 hours. Delusional are those wagering on the fact that the security-bureaucratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt will remain closed and filled with mysteries that cannot be grasped by the revolutionaries, even if all the Tunisian security posts are burned down and the files of the intelligence and state security apparatuses among others in Egypt are secretly moved. Delusional are those saying that the Arab revolutions will remain skin-deep and will not reach the social and economic structure of the countries affected by the recent events, and that the situation will go back to being the same as it was during the years of Egyptian stalemate and Tunisian despotism. Indeed, a quick look at the predicament endured by the Egyptian stock market – whose resumption of operations has been postponed for over a month – is enough to raise numerous questions regarding the future of the capitals pillaged from the public funds and the way the new authorities will deal with them. This consequently leads to another question related to the fate of the parasitical class which fed off the hard work of the Egyptians and the Tunisians for a long period of time. On the other hand, delusional are those who think that the wave of Arab change will not reach them. And regardless of the controversy surrounding the role of the Palestinian cause and the position of the collapsing regimes towards it, and regardless of the talk about the return to traditional Arab nationalism (with its Baathist and Nasserist formulas) at a time when the revolutions are announcing their divorce with regimes that drew their legitimacy from that theory, the Arab populations share a great dissociation with their ruling regimes and the values imposed on them. While some politicians (in Lebanon for example) noted that not one demonstration headed to the Israeli or American embassies in Cairo, this does not mean that the national anti-occupation component in the Arab actions should be ignored. Quite the contrary. This points to the fact that the previous perception of the Arab-Israeli conflict is currently being subjected to a deep reassessment, taking into consideration the tangible interests of the national state, away from slogans that were exploited by the regime to empty them of all content and render them similar to an insult addressed to the Arab citizens. In the meantime, delusional are those who believe it will be easy to see the progress of the revolutions, the expansion of their scope and the deepening of their accomplishments. At this level, what is happening in Tunisia and Egypt in terms of the fierce resistance shown by the remnants of the former regimes and the war Gaddafi is waging against his people, clearly point to the fact that the past will not go before using up all its chances, even if this leads to drowning the entire world in blood. Moreover, delusional are those limiting their demands to the changing of the ruler's picture in official institutions, while the setbacks, the retractions and the infiltration of the old elite by the windows of the homes through which doors they were ousted, are among the practices that accompanied the change movements throughout history. The end of the “Arab exception” dictates preparations to enter history.
