The key structural feature shaping today's Middle East, it seems to me, is the dissolution of power. During the early days of the Arab uprising, this could be seen in the fall of long-ruling leaders and the surge of popular protests against the old order. But those uprisings have failed to create any enduring new regimes, and the power of popular movements has dissipated into sectarianism, political polarization, and -- in the worst cases, such as Egypt -- capture by the state.
This power fade can be seen at every level, though.
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