Today’s turmoil, however, is no longer driven by anger at foreign forces; instead, it marks a second phase of the de-colonization process: the assertion of the right of self-determination by peoples and tribes united only by a dictator’s yoke. Indeed, it is not entirely farfetched to anticipate the emergence of new Arab states from the debris of the old, artificial ones.
但是，今天的乱象不再因针对外国势力的愤怒而起；而是反映了去殖民地过程的第二阶段：被独裁者拧在一起的诸民族和部落开始意识到自主决定的权利。事实上，在人工早就的旧阿拉伯世界废墟上崛起新的阿拉伯国家也不是完全没有可能。美国入侵伊拉克就是榜样——这打破了中央政府的权力，让种族和宗教飞地获得了权力。