Wednesday and Thursday mark Egypt’s first post-Mubarak presidential elections. Sadly, what should be a purple-fingered moment brings some hope and much disappointment. Don’t get me wrong – Mubarak was a loathsome stooge, a petty and incompetent rentier tyrant who deserved what he got and more.

The world is still far from safe. Not only have democratic hopes faltered, but long-time foundations of regional stability are crumbling, to our detriment and that of our friends.

We should encourage states transitioning to democracy to protect themselves from Iranian efforts to subvert their progress.

Who is Egypt arming against, and why?Could Cairo'sarsenal fall into the hands of Islamists?

A review of David Pryce-Jones's Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews.

A pragmatic assessment of the situation in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East underlines the daunting obstacles in the way of a democratic transformation.

The conflict in Gaza is the policy of Hamas, and hoping for positive diplomatic intervention from Hamas's allies in Iran and Syria is futile.