The entire Arab world has united around the struggles in Tunisia and Egypt. Every day, I see dozens of posts on Facebook from my Arab friends in Jordan and Egypt, loudly denouncing Hosni Mubarak and his management of Egypt, the most populous Arab country which is arguable viewed by all Arabs as the beating heart of their culture and much of their secular history. Every day, I see pictures of Tahrir Square, now the focus of skirmishes, protests, and thousands of torn up stones from both sides of the line. Often, in the corner of the pictures, I can see the little KFC restaurant off of Talat al-Harb street, where I got lunch several times during my three weeks in Egypt in 2010. Just a dozen meters away farther to the right out of this picture, I know the Canadian Hostel is sitting, probably either dark and boarded up to protect from vandals and looters, or a hopping, happening place where all of the international reporters are hanging out during the lulls in the action. I don’t know how my friend Islam, the loud-mouthed, fast-talking young manager is doing now. I hope he’s far, far away from the place, personally, wherever it is that his family lives. He told me that his family owns the hostel, though, so I hope that doesn’t mean that they live anywhere close to that building, so close to where the constant fighting is going on now.

Photo Credit: Scott Nelson for The New York Times

It’s strange, seeing Egypt again from this new angle. I was only there for three weeks, but after being in Jordan for far longer and being surrounded by Egyptian music, books, and movies all the time, I definitely feel like there is a strange new wind in the air. Egyptians I knew in Jordan, like my friend Hussein at the bike shop and Imad the Whitman janitor, all had a kind of weary, dry, long suffering amusement at the fate of their country in the corrupt hands of Mubarak. I asked them if people would fight and rise up against the dictators, like the military rose up against the Egyptian royalty almost half a century ago. They didn’t think so. A cynical laugh. “It is what it is, how God wills it. No one is going to change anything.” That what was they said now. This wind is indeed strange, because now there is a determination and nationalism I’ve personally never been alive to see. A new heart is beating in the Egyptian, and indeed all Arab, peoples.

Jordan fired their cabinet and prime minister – again. Abdullah did this around Christmas 2009 as well, I seem to recall. I don’t think he’s in nearly as much trouble as certain other Arab governments; with the exception of food and fuel prices, things are not desperate like they were in Egypt. They definitely need to revitalize their job market for their young, angry youth – so that they don’t end up like Egypt in another decade. But I think Jordan will be fine. Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and even Saudia might have more problems, though. And of course, there’s no telling what’s going to happen between Egypt and Israel now, when all the smoke clears – say what you will about Mubarak (and people will say quite a lot) but it took quite the strongman to keep the massive, sullen population of Egypt and the massive, trigger-happy military of Israel from causing a lot of problems for each other. I hope this El-Baradei guy, or whomever takes charge in the new order when Mubarak is finally ousted, is ready to do some serious maneuvering. I hope he won’t bow to Israel’s own corrupt dictatorship, either, of course – but I hope he has his doctorate in tact and smooth talking, too.

Only times is going to tell how this is going to play out, and how far the crash of thrown stones is going to reverberate through my favorite part of the extra-American world, but one thing’s for sure – the cat’s out of the bag and it’s never going to go back in again.