The whole Middle East will continue to be ruled by theocracy. Shari'a law will be imposed more and more while Conservative groups limit the rights of citizens. Women's rights are on their way out the door religious freedom is going to be almost nonexistent. Freedoms will rapidly continue to dissapear.
I suspect that Tunisia is also headed in that direction though at a slower rate.
Any democratic movement that has a faith at its center. Cannot be a free country. Shari'a cannot be at the center of any countries constitution it simply cannot if the country is to be democratic.
I am guessing that the entire middle east is lost without foreign presence being maintained. The religious Conservatives have to much power and the people impoverished and largely uneducated. It is next to impossible to have western democracy in the middle east without a Government that rules pretty harsh. Israel only survives as a valid democracy by imposing democratic values with force.
No country that puts any religion above its democratic rights and its constitution cannot be free. This includes atheism a country needs to enshrine freedom of belief and speech etc..etc.. in the constitution and make that constitution unconditional.
Assad is horrible and so was Saddam but they did shelter some minorities like Christians and Jews. But when we put democracy in the hands of people who have never had democracy before it takes a while to adjust.
Western forces should remain in all developing democracies for 20 or so years. Democratic values need to be imposed until the country adjusts. No democracies just were born all of them took decades and massive military action. The only other way was a dictator bringing in democracy themselves voluntarily and ensuring the transition occurred peacefully but even then it takes ten to twenty years to fully transition.
-JC7
"In God We Trust - In Games We Play " - Joel Reimer
