Arab World Sees Warnings in Mubarak Trial

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By FARNAZ FASSIHI

BEIRUT—Televised images of Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak lying on a gurney in a courtroom cage transfixed viewers in the Middle East.

Many said they hoped the trial would set an example for other autocratic leaders in the region who were clinging to power despite widespread calls for change, as in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

Others voiced pity for 83-year-old Mr. Mubarak, looking frail on a hospital bed, and worried that his public humiliation could send the reverse message to other dictators—that if they stop fighting they would face a similar fate.

"All of Arab dictators will be bothered today; they will now insist even more on resisting change and fight until the end," said Jihad Zein, a political analyst and columnist for An Nahar newspaper in Beirut.

Arab satellite news television channels devoted much of Wednesday, the first day of the trial, to live coverage and analysis. Mr. Mubarak is being prosecuted, along with his sons Gamal and Alaa, for alleged corruption and allegedly ordering security forces to open fire on protesters during Egypt's uprising. All three pleaded not guilty.Broadcasters repeatedly underscored the historical dimensions of the trial, the first time an Arab ruler has been prosecuted by his own people and without foreign intervention.

In Syria, as President Bashar al Assad desperately attempts to crush raging protests against his rule, Mr. Mubarak's trial wasn't prominently reported on state news media.

But Syrian activists were taking note. "I look forward to the day we see the same thing for the president who put me and many others in a cage for years," said Omar Muqdad, a 30-year-old Syrian activist and former political prisoner now living in Turkey.

An activist in Bahrain, where rulers have cracked down on protests, said the trial had restored his faith and optimism in the so-called Arab Spring movement. He tweeted a message for Arab rulers: "Your time is up if you don't change."

Iran's official news media referred to Mr. Mubarak as "Egypt's last pharaoh in a cage," and took the opportunity to blame his fall from power on his close ties to the U.S. and a peace treaty with Israel.

Iranian opposition websites drew parallels between Egypt's uprising and their own Green Movement—while urging Iran's rulers to learn from Mr. Mubarak's mistakes.

"Even thirty years of powers is no guarantee when the people's will sets in motion for change. Hopefully our turn will come too," said a 32-year-old government ministry employee in Iran.

Many contributors to blogs and on Twitter expressed their outrage over what they perceived as arrogant behavior at the trial by Mr. Mubarak and his sons. Some pointed out Mr. Mubarak's dyed hair, saying it showed that the deposed ruler hasn't been as sick as his doctors say. Some said they were shocked that Mr. Mubarak's sons shook hands with military officers as they were led out of their cage when the trial was adjourned.

If Mr. Mubarak and his sons are convicted, many observers said, future Arab rulers will be less likely to involve their families in state affairs and treat the country as their private property for the benefit of a ruling few.

"Each and every Arab leader needs to know that he is not God," said Nicolas Semaan, a 43-year-old senior manager in Beirut.

—Nour Malas and Margaret Coker in Abu Dhabi
contributed to this article


Mubarak on hospital bed during the trial.



Mubarak's son, Gamal.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... lenews_wsj

What will happen doesn't depend on what the dictators want. It depends on what the people want.

Tell that to the people of Syria and the people of Iran.

True, but don't expect those countries will become developed and democratic overnight.

Remember how many kings/emperors/dictators ruled France after the revolution before it becomes the fully democratic France.

Conflicts, bad choices and hardships are to be expected, but what's happening today is a necessary step to move forward.

it's really too bad that we can't just annex Nehru or some other remote island and turn it into a resort prison for deposed dictators.

If the Arab dictators are intellectually capable of being introspective and retrospective, maybe they'll realize you reap what you sow.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer