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Mideast unrest may be rare opportunity for human justice

A mighty wind is blowing through the Arab and Muslim world and we are in the eye of the tempest, not knowing what the whirlwind will bring.

Murderous violence in Libya, ongoing demonstrations in Yemen, Iran and Bahrain. The first buds of protest have sprouted in Syria, Jordan, Morocco and Algeria. In Egypt and Tunisia, the tyrants were driven out, but the new regimes are still far from taking form.

All these revolutions, those in full swing and those on the way, are not the same, but it can already be seen that things are going to change. Better or worse, democratic or fundamentalist, a new Arab order is about to be set up.

The Arab and Muslim world is undergoing an agitation the likes of which has not been known before and nobody can predict its consequences and repercussions.

The world is observing, for now, these stormy winds from afar. It is driven by a mishmash of narrow economic and political interests and lofty ideals. It rushed to support the Egyptian protesters, yet is displaying helplessness and complacency in view of the reported massacre in Libya.

Nobody is mentioning Saudi Arabia, one of the dictatorships in which so far no protest has been reported.

This is a critical hour for the Arab world, as well as the world at large. These amazing occurrences must be watched closely.

If the massacre in Libya continues, the world must intervene to prevent genocide. If the Egyptian opposition succeeds in establishing a democratic regime, the world must enlist to help it.

There are few points in history when so many fates are about to be sealed in a relatively short time - fates of nations and states, fates of millions of people yearning to be free and to prosper.

The current situation is fraught with many dangers but also enfolds great hopes. We must not ignore the dangers but at the same time not dismiss the chance for a better future for the backward parts of the Arab world.

It is a world abundant with natural resources, but which never translated its wealth into welfare for its people. It is a world that hasn't known a single real democracy.

Now it has its big opportunity. We must do everything so that this opportunity is not missed.