<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Q &amp; A</h2>

All over the Arab World, a generation of young protestors gathered in the streets, demanding more freedom, better opportunities, and an end to the corrupt regimes which had paralysed the region for so long. Two dictators have already fallen. In other countries, protests have led to bloody clashes or even civil war.

In framing the US response, Obama faced a series of dilemmas. There are, after all, many reasons for America to fear Middle Eastern instability: international oil supplies, on which the US economy depends, would be severely disrupted by turmoil in oil-rich Arab nations like Saudi Arabia.

America's ally, Israel, had formed stable relations with authoritarian regimes in the region. Israeli politicians watched the Arab Spring with worry, and the country's Prime Minister is currently in America to press his concerns with US politicians.

Finally there are worries over Islamist extremism. If established regimes crumble, religious fundamentalists could fill the gap, posing a threat to human rights and international security. The religious dictatorship of Iran hangs like a storm cloud over the Middle East, poised to take advantage of any openings that instability might offer.

But yesterday, Obama promised full and unwavering support to the forces of freedom in the Middle East. A policy based 'solely on the pursuit of US interests' would not succeed, he said. He pledged a series of economic and diplomatic measures to help the new governments in Egypt and Tunisia to achieve proper democracy.

'The US,' he said, 'supports a set of fundamental rights including the right to choose your own leaders. This is not a secondary interest. This is a top priority.'

Statement of principle

Some will say Obama didn't go far enough. Speaking about the repressive regimes in Bahrain and Syria, he only urged reform and dialogue, rather than calling for the leaders of those countries to step down. He didn't mention Saudi Arabia (a key US ally) at all, despite that nation's lack of democracy and human rights.n

But Obama did remind the world of a key American principle, which he promised to uphold: 'we hold these truths to be self-evident - that all men were created equal.' Whether US actions will now match the promise of Obama's words remains to be seen.

So is freedom really coming to the Middle East? It's still too early to say - but there's a lot of hope. The two successful revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia have not yet produced stable democracies, but they seem to be on the right track.

What about other countries in the region? Syria, Libya and Yemen are hanging in the balance, with strong protest movements posed against brutal regimes. It's too early to say which way these countries will go. Meanwhile, in Bahrain, the democratic movement appears to have been comprehensively crushed.

Doesn't sound like there's much cause for optimism there. Even if dictators hang on in places like Syria, the whole mood has fundamentally changed. Ordinary people now have the courage to protest and to fight against oppression. Optimists say that although dictators might win the battles, they can't win the war.

Arab Spring - A series of mass protests across the Arab World against dictatorships that had stood for decades. In Tunisia, the protesters succeeded in creating a democratic government, but many other countries collapsed into civil war or experienced new dictatorships.