Some words have a magical effect if they are uttered at the right time. They turn into highly explosive bombs if they manage to touch upon people's wounds, which consist of hard-to-earn living, unemployment, scorned dignities, and appropriated or squandered fortunes. Words become matches that are used by dry stalks to light up. What could have been mere protests or objections goes even further. It turns into a revolution that accepts nothing less than uprooting things. The words uttered in squares, on the streets, on TV, and on the internet are no simple words: change, reform, peaceful transition of power, fighting corruption, human rights, independent judiciary, transparency. It is no simple matter either for a woman to appear on TV and address herself to the country's leader by saying “Leave, you oppressor”. Or for a young man to write “Leave” on the palm of his hand and wave it before the cameras, thus challenging the one who still has the competence to give orders to the army and the security apparatuses, but has become hesitant do so. A few months ago, such a scene would have been impossible to imagine. The “visitors of the dawn” used to contain any citizen whom they suspected of perpetrating such dreams. It is obvious that something great has happened, and that this change is not just momentary. The prestige and the glory have been attacked. The stones of the wall of fear have fallen, and what is yet to come is even more remarkable. It is a whole new scene. It is not strange for a journalist to find it difficult to make interpretations, even if he is acquainted with the scenes where the fires are burning, and with some of the players involved. In such cases, one must turn to those who have an exceptional amount of information, relations, and experience in playing the role of the firefighter, encourager, inciter, and facilitator. The man reflecting upon the region's future said: “We're at the end of an era and at the beginning of a completely different one. The region is exposed to the winds, akin to what eastern Europe went through after the fall of the Berlin wall. Change is imminent, albeit different from one society to another. Anyone who resists it will be swept off by the wave. The ones who can survive are those who adapt and lead the change, even if this involves taking difficult risks. These are indications of the launching of the new phase's train. The train ticket is expensive, as it implies changing legislations and mentalities, “filing the nails” of security apparatuses, attacking parties, and dismantling corruption networks. And yet, climbing aboard the train is less costly than losing the opportunity to belong to it, as losing means waiting for the collapse.” He added: “Look at how much the region has changed within weeks. Tunisia is living without Zine el Abidine bin Ali; Egypt is living without Hosni Mubarak, who is detained with his two sons pending investigations. It will not be much longer before we see Yemen without Ali Abdullah Saleh and Libya without Muammar Gaddafi. Only change can protect stability. He who loses the opportunity to climb aboard the train now will not get this opportunity again. People are tired of poverty, unemployment, marginalization, and oppression. They want bread, dignity, and a sense of belonging to this era.” The speaker talked about the situation in Syria: “The protests in Syria mean that reform is late. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Syria was busy during the past decade with the external challenges. It is not in the region's interest to see Libyan or Yugoslavian scenes in Syria. The explosion of Syria would kill it and would pose a threat on the region. It is not too late yet. The solution in Syria is for al-Assad to personally conduct the process of change and take difficult decisions, even if at the expense of the role of security apparatuses and the party. It is still less costly to climb aboard the train than to lose the opportunity.” I paused at the speaker's statement that the United States tried to change the region through Iraq and failed; that Iran tried this through exporting the revolution and failed; and that change came from the inside this time. The region's countries have wasted decades during which they did not seriously deal with economic and modernization issues. It is why the slogans of reform and change are like bombshells. Hesitating to climb aboard the train is costly. As for intercepting the train, it is nothing but pure suicide.
