In 2009, just as I was heading overseas, I was given Joel Rosenberg’s book Inside the Revolution. Joel Rosenberg is an awesome writer of both fiction and non fiction books.

He gained acclaim– in part– for this reason… The scenarios in his books seem to come true. Some may see it as simply an uncanny coincidence, but Joel admittedly takes his direction for his books, whether fiction or non fiction, from Biblical prophecy. With that last statement I may have lost some of you, but perhaps others are simply more interested. No matter, I shall continue my story. Inside the Revolution is an amazing analysis of several countries throughout Africa and the Middle East. The book explores the character of each nation. Those that are fundamentally Islamic countries in their core, those that are considered moderate , and those that are by comparison mostly secular societies and governments.

In Inside the Revolution, Joel Rosenberg explored what would have been called the seeds of revolution in some countries, siting the main players and their motivations. Interestingly the author doesn’t just stop at political analysis, but also delves into the dominant culture and religion of each nation. He poses the idea that, in some oft these countries, there may even be the makings of religious revolution as well, however under wraps it may be.

Given my nature, Rosenberg’s book was decidedly up my alley. Though I had not read any of his fiction I had been fascinated with his book Epicenter, which is a detailed insight to, and play by-play of the Middle East’s most famous conflicts, past, present and future. However, because I knew that I would be traveling through some rather unforgiving airport security and also trying to manage the density of my luggage, I opted to leave the heavy book about “revolution” at home, to be picked up with much enthusiasm almost a year later.

When I revisited Inside the Revolution in 2010 I had no idea of what would take place during the following year. I simply wanted to become more familiar with the region and have a better understanding of countries that– in the American psyche– seem to run into each other and form a collective that we call the Middle East. However, as you may well know, 2011 actually brought “the Revolution” to pass. I myself was glued to the computer screen as I read of uprising after uprising in the Arab world. Tunisia kicked things off with several other countries in tow. Egypt seemed to blow the whole scene apart with its massive uprising, which threw the “People,” the military and the Mubarak regime into the ring. The news media was like a girl in love and began to follow what came to be called the “Arab Spring” door to door with editorial wanderlust. Western leaders began to throw their support behind the protesters, calling for the old guard to step aside for whatever was coming next. From this vantage point democracy, if not love, was in the air. I was reminded of that line in Yeats’ poem, “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.” It wasn’t long before the “Arab Spring” faded into what some called a “Bloody Summer.” Now in 2012 the world still waits to see what will become of this long spring and summer of bloodshed which has already lasted more than a year.

To be sure, the uprising in Egypt showed that it’s not just as simple as ousting the old guard. There, revolution came with a price tag. The uprising in Egypt saw bloodshed before Mubarak stepped down. More than a year after the Egyptian revolution began, the country has barely regained its political land legs. The upset there meant victory for the Muslim Brotherhood, much to the chagrin of its Northern neighbor Israel. The lawless Sinai region has finally come to a boil, and with the Egyptian army moving in to extinguish the flames we all wait with bated breath to see what will happen next. The stage is set for an interesting future.

If things had stopped there we still would have gotten more than we bargained for with Middle Eastern Spring Time. However as the case was there was this guy in Libya… Not to mention Yemen and Bahrain which experienced very significant tumult as well. I could speak about what happened in Algeria, and what took place in Morocco and Jordan. Then again, perhaps we might be interested in the ongoing ordeal between Israel and Iran. However, current conditions dictate that anyone who is following these events is looking on with horror at affairs in Syria.

The media continues to spew out story after story of massacres as the scantily equipped rebel Free Syrian Army fight to undermine and somehow wrest control from the Assad regime in Damascus. There are of course the normal chorus of voices in the West calling for regime change while the equally familiar ensemble of voices in the East has opposed it. Countries like the US and Great Britain cry in vain for the current government to finally step down. The UN has thrown its hands up in horror and frustration at the scale of Syria’s civil war. Even the Arab League has long dissolved the peace plan it endorsed not six months ago. While Russia and China have repeatedly stood against what some might call real action against the Assad regime one wonders how either can countenance the human rights disaster that Syria has become. Frustrating as this is, it is the usual run of affairs for Russia and China to oppose resolution coming from the general direction of the United States. If one side says good morning, the other side usually says good night! As of late Iran as maintained a bold volume of support for the regime it considers a vital ally in the struggle against terrorists… like the United States. Turkey, who had once hoped to be of diplomatic use in the region has found its efforts met with more bloodshed, and it’s borders overrun with Syrian refugees desperate to escape the perils of civil war. As of late, the conflict has even spilled over to neighboring Lebanon.

What would come of the collapse of the Assad regime anyway? The voice of the rebellion has often shouted true democracy. Would that indeed be the outcome? As is the case with any turn over in the Middle East the question is who will step into power. Will it be a new leader who will help mold the country as well as the area into a more peaceable part of the Mid East puzzle? And what of the presence of Fundamental Islamists who are also making waves in this pool? Will a new leader embody the hopes of the Syrian people, whatever those hopes may finally be when the dust settles?

It has been more than a year since the first stirrings of the Arab Spring. What has been gained? What has been lost? Is it even possible to tell beneath the tide of blood? With Syria, as with all the countries that “Spring” has come to, one must wonder what this change will mean for the region in the long term. It may take quite some time before the world understands exactly what the Arab Spring has wrought.