Tahrir squared

It took everyone by surprise. It took the regime by surprise. It took the world by surprise. But more than anyone, it took the Egyptian people by surprise.

There have been a lot of assumptions about the Middle East region in general, and Egypt in particular. Some of them are absurd, and are held by people who know little or nothing about the region. Others are less ridiculous, and are formed by analysts who have spent years in the region. But everyone, Egyptian and non-Egyptian alike, was taken by surprise by the events of the past few weeks.

The opening of the article. The full text is at Daily News Egypt.