Stephen King, Irish Examiner, 2/2/11:

“WATCHING pictures on television of a dictator getting his ass whipped — especially when he is one who has been raping his country’s finances for 30 years — is always a visceral pleasure. […] when the crowds sprang up like lilies on the streets of Tunis, Cairo, Sana’a and Alexandria last week, our eyes lit up with undimmed optimism as we raptly observed the sovereignty of the people asserting itself, driving out dictatorships.”

Stephen King, Irish Examiner, 26/5/10:

“The Saudis, the Egyptians, and so on, are equally determined to shore up the foundations of their own regimes. None of these is perfect – far from it – but they do represent something approaching stability, in contrast to the anarchy that Tehran promotes.”

Tariq Ali debating revolution in Egypt on CrossTalk: