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You'd have to be a very grumpy bear indeed not to be thrilled at the fall of Arab dictators, especially unmitigated creeps like Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, and the rise of a genuine democratic spirit across the Arab world.

But consider this. One immediate result of the Arab Spring is a brand new franchise operation for al-Q'aida.

In Egypt's Sinai desert, which borders Israel, a group has arrived announcing itself as al-Qa'ida in the Sinai Peninsula. Another group calls itself al-Shabab al-Islam (Youth of Islam).

The franchises are new and pretty undeveloped so far. As yet, al-Qa'ida central has not granted formal recognition to its aspiring Sinai franchise. But really, it's only a matter of time.

This week, an Israeli cabinet minister told me that looted Libyan...