There is a great danger that all these huge demonstrations will fade away some day -- Zeitgeist again -- without leaving anything behind, except some memories.
This has already happened in Israel. The mass demonstrations had some influence on this year's elections, but the new parties are indistinguishable from the old ones. New politicians have taken the place of old politicians. But nothing real has changed. Neither on the national nor on the social level.
IN ANY democracy, real change can only take place through new political parties which enter parliament and make new laws. For this you need political leaders -- now, in the era of TV, more than ever. It is not enough to generate a lot of steam -- you need an engine to make the steam do useful work.
The tragedy in Egypt -- a country I love -- demonstrates this perfectly. The revolution overthrew the dictatorship, but in the elections that followed, the revolutionaries were unable to unite, create a joint political force, elect leaders. Victory was snatched by the Muslim Brotherhood, who were well organized with a solid leadership.
The brotherhood has failed. Power, after decades of persecution, went to their heads. They threw away caution. Instead of building a new state on moderation, compromise and inclusion, they could not wait. So they may lose all.
The democratic revolutionaries have yet to prove that they are able to lead a country -- in Egypt or anywhere else. They may yet launch a world-wide Human Spring. Or they may leave nothing behind, except a vague longing.
It's up to them.
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