THERE HAS BEEN MUCH GOOD from the onset of Arab Spring and there have been many changes for the better.
Three dictatorships in Tunis, Egypt and Libya have fallen, and Yemen’s president has finally agreed to give up power under a deal, while his Syrian counterpart is fighting a losing battle.
The elections in Egypt have gone as predicted with the once outlawed political entities being today the de jure voice of the people. The pro-Islamist parties have won more than two thirds of the seats in the parliamentary elections – more than enough to send shivers down the spine of the Western leaders.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which was banned for almost three decades during the regime of former president Hosni Mubarak, is calling the shots in Egypt and is in a more comfortable position following the uprisings.
With the ultra-right holding sway, a new dimension of parliamentary politics is in vogue in Egypt, and it remains to be seen how the revolutionary zeal is practised in essence and the hopes from  Tahrir Square are fulfilled.
The religious parties have a challenge indeed, as they will be under compulsion to cater to the desires and beliefs of people across the board, and desist from going the Iranian or the Taliban way of governance.
The emerging power politics nexus in Egypt is likely to widen its influence in the region very much like what happened with Hamas in Gaza. It is going to be interesting to see how the major powers, particularly the United States and Israel, respond to this new development.
It is, however, a good sign that the Brotherhood has vowed to maintain a rational semblance while respecting international obligations and also taking along the minorities. The new assembly, dubbed as a “reconciliatory forum”, has to prove its point of coexistence.
As we enter the winter of discontent in the Middle East, what surprises the political analysts is the fact that Palestine has been very silent all these months, and not a major incident was reported from Gaza or the West Bank.
Perhaps this speaks volumes about the inertia and resignation that have set in the political dynamics of this dispossessed nation, which has been taken for a ride by its own politicians and the international community.
The apparent apathy of the Palestinians is now reaching stage of rigor mortis. They are losing a vital moment of their existence and keeping their fingers crossed, hoping – in vain – for some assistance from the world community.
It is unconscionable that the occupied territories and their inhabitants should continue to be in a state of limbo, and some initiative leading to statehood needs to be orchestrated at the earliest. Unfortunately, it will not happen until after the November elections in the United States – if at all.
The stalled peace talks between Israel and Palestine urgently need a kick-start and the major powers share a liability to make it happen.
But we won’t hold our breath.
