Berlin Wall II

Mark Steyn in The Telegraph labels the events of recent weeks as the crumbling of the Arabs’ Berlin Wall.

I wouldn’t go quite that far, but it has been an amazing few weeks which deserves some cautious optimisn. To recap:

* Sucessful free elections in Iraq
* Saudia Arabia announces plans to give women the vote
* Egypt to allow multi-choice presidential elections
* In Lebanon popular people power brings down the Government
* Syria announces plans to withdraw from Lebanon
* Syria suddenly finds 30 high ranking Iraqi Baathists and hands them over
* A suicide bombing in Israel is greeted by anger not cheers in Palestine

There will be setbacks to come, I have no doubt. But the seven events of the last few weeks are remarkable, and beyond doubt inter-linked to a degree.