Smith: Syria is on the brink of civil war. Democracy is being undermined in Egypt. Is the Arab Spring over?
Executive Director of the Centre for Global Studies and CIGI Distinguished Fellow
Anybody who thought the SCAF would readily give way to an elected parliament or president was dreaming. This is a long term process. Just think how long it has taken in Turkey for the military to accept a civilian government (and one with Islamist inclinations to boot). Syria is, I fear, still in the early innings, with a very unclear outcome. The readiness to challenge repressive autocracies is much more widespread in the region, in part thanks to information technology. Stay tuned.
