The Arabs who celebrated the eruptions of the Arab Spring cannot shield themselves from many ensuing questions today. While not yet nostalgic for the old regimes, which were indeed terrible, the Arabs have a shaken confidence, a perturbed sense of direction, and feel the tension of those who had danced in celebration of their victory in the public squares. There are many questions accompanying the pains that came after victory. Was Muammar Gaddafi the only problem in Libya? Why has the revolution there not succeeded in taking off? Why does one hear some Libyans expressing concern that unrest may continue for a long time, that authoritarianism may return, and that the unity of the country may be at stake? Is it true what one Libyan Gaddafi-hater said, namely that while dictators kill their people, they preserve the unity of their countries? And, is it true that the Libyans were caught by surprise by the eruption that toppled the regime of the Colonel, before they could complete their preparations to face the void left by his departure – being a tyrant who was holding all the country's arteries and strings? Is it true that Ali Abdullah Saleh was the single biggest problem in Yemen? If so, then why did the Yemeni revolution not succeed yet in moving towards building the state, despite the fact that Saleh had left the palace in which he resided for a long time? Also, is it true that Yemen was prepared for real and transparent democracy, and that Saleh was the major obstacle to this? What of Yemen's unity, the demands of south Yemenis, the aspirations of the Huthis, and the Islamic fiefdoms carved up by al-Qaeda? Is it true that Tunisia was ready to embrace real democracy and that the only thing stopping Tunisia was the fact that an authoritarian security man had seized the presidential palace, and succeeded to extend his tenure there? If that were true, then why is Tunisia now undergoing all this fragmentation, despite the election? Is it possible to say that what is being witnessed in Tunisian cities and streets from time to time makes it easier to attract tourists and investors and reduce the unemployment rate? Is it enough for the polls to give a mandate to this or that party in order for it to be able to manage the affairs of state? Is it true that Hosni Mubarak was the only major problem in Egypt? If so, then why is it still widely believed that the Egyptian ship has not yet sailed, and why is there so much fog over Cairo, with a river of questions, doubts and fears flowing in its streets? Are the results of the elections enough to allow the winners to lead Egypt? Can victory in the elections be considered a sufficient mandate to alter the state and society altogether? Why did some of the participants in the uprising rush to raise their voice against the new administration, to the extent of accusing it of seeking to control the judiciary and the media, as a prelude to suspending the principle of rotation of power? What about the long-awaited constitution and the rules for citizenship and equality within it? And, what about the rights of women and the Copts? Is it true that the presence of Bashar al-Assad in power is the only major obstacle? Is it possible to conclude that merely dislodging him from power would mean that Syria will bathe in democracy and coexistence among its components? Is it true that the opposition forces can rally around a salvation program where Syrians are equal regardless of their religious, sectarian and ethnic affiliations? Is it true that Saddam Hussein was the only major obstacle? Why is it then, that a decade after toppling his regime, we still see Iraq mired in violence, corruption and conflict among its components? Is it true that taking office reveals the faults of those who were in the opposition, and dashes the hopes of those who bet on that uprooting tyrants means the end of tyranny? We cannot defend the situation that existed in the countries struck by the Arab Spring before. I am not interested in any defense of this kind. But I believe that it is the right of those who welcomed the change to ask questions about the reality of the programs of the forces that toppled the president or the tyrant, and their relationship with the idea of the state, democracy, development and modernity. Indeed, it is not enough to topple the president if those who behind it have nothing but old medicines and outdated ideas that the world has moved beyond. Everything suggests that the transition in this or that country will be saddled with disappointments and pains.
