After weeks of diplomatic wavering on the tumult in the Arab world, President Nicolas Sarkozy is scrambling to signal to the world that France is back on track, defending core human values and treading with a sure foot in the changed Middle East.

Even as the European Union has moved toward formulating a unified policy on Egypt and Tunisia, member states are sharply divided over how to deal with the increasingly volatile and violent situation in Libya.

The demise of autocratic regimes, first in Tunisia and right after in Egypt, has triggered a broad debate that centers on the following question: Is the coming regime in Egypt, which carries a central importance for the Arab world, likely to resemble Turkey, or Iran?

The nonviolent revolution in Egypt that prompted President Hosni Mubarak to resign after 18 days of protest of his people has, once again, exposed the conflict between idealism and pragmatism in American diplomacy. Historically, our idealism inspires people around the globe, but our pragmatic approach gives money to dictators.

WASHINGTON – Use of the Internet and social networks was a significant factor in Egypt during the past month, even when the Egyptian government tried to block online access, according to a survey of Cairo and Alexandria residents released this morning by the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors.