An axis of turmOIL

Jonathan Pain | The Pain Report | 23 February 2011

The tectonic plates of the Arab world have ruptured and the geopolitical fault lines that have shaped and defined the region for sixty years have shifted inexorably. We are witnessing a transformational phenomenon of spontaneous and populist revolt against repressive and corrupt regimes all across the region.

Since the last Pain Report, "A Butterfly Flaps its Small Democratic Wings in Tunisia", we have seen a dramatic escalation of civil unrest, particularly in Bahrain and Libya. 

I lived in Bahrain for ni...