The Washington Post published an article by David Ignatius headlined “Egyptian democracy’s growing pains”, in which the journalist muses on the future of the Egyptian revolution. According to Ignatius, the future of the whole Middle East depends on the way the revolution will end in this African country. If democracy wins in Egypt, it will win in the whole region, the author thinks. Still, there is a danger that Islamists will take over the country. The coming elections will show how strong they actually are.
The New York Times published an article entitled “Keeping Ahead of Qaddafi”. The author of the article stresses the point that NATO intervention in the Libyan civil war is necessary to prevent heavy civilian casualties. Moreover, he thinks that the USA should play a more important role in the operation. The Libyan rebels and NATO allies need the US army, the author says.
The Guardian also published an article devoted to the situation in the Arab world. In the article, headlined “Syria has heard all this reform talk before”, the author expresses his fear that none of the governmental reforms in the country will lead to any substantial changes in the country's political life. According to him, the real problem in the Middle East is the absence of multi-party systems, free elections and freedom of the mass media.
Turkey’s Hurriyet published an article entitled “President Gül: Turkey must raise its standards to be a regional model”. The author worries that debated changes in the political system of Turkey may endanger democracy in the country and welcomes the recent statement by the Turkish president, who opposes such changes. “President Abdullah Gül continues to emerge as a voice of reason, speaking out for democracy and human rights, at a time when the future of Turkey’s democratic standing and institutional structure is being debated in Turkey,” the author of the article says.
Hurriyet also published an article headlined “What unites and divides Turkey and Iran – on Israel”. The author underlines that, in spite of fears that the present-day Turkish elite is trying to turn Turkey into a new Iran, there are certain differences between the two countries. Turkey, which is naturally much more secular and democratic, is less aggressive in its foreign policy. According to the author, the fundamental differences between Iranians and Turks are as follows: Muslim Turks want “a smaller Israel,” whereas Muslim Iranians want “no Israel.”
