The Gadhafi tyranny in Libya has been overthrown although the "colonel" has not yet been found and elements of his regime and his mercenaries continue to pose problems for the new regime. Much needs to be done to restore Libyan infrastructure, including restoring water and power supplies in Tripoli, and to establish law and order.
The provisional regime has declared that there will be early and free elections and a new constitution will be drafted. Some question how democratic the new Libya will be. The future course of Libya is not yet clear, but the revolution has shown that tyrants who rely on mercenaries to enforce their will can be overthrown if grievances are allowed to fester.
In Egypt, former President Hosni Mubarak has been put on trial and elections are set for November, but the army retains power. It is conservative and xenophobic. Military courts have given prison sentences to activists calling for more radical reforms while officials accused of corruption and abuse of power continue in post. "Islamists" have backed the military's plan to postpone drafting a new constitution until after the elections.
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