In spite of a government ban on demonstrations, 10,000 Lebanese took to the streets to demand that the pro-Syrian government stand down and that Syria withdraws its troops. In defiance of a curfew, 5,000 of them spent the night in Martyr’s Square (now called “Freedom Square” by the protestors) in central Beirut. A general strike closed schools, banks and businesses and the Interior Minister called on the police and army “to take all necessary steps to preserve security and order and prevent demonstrations and gatherings”.

The police and army were powerless as the protest swelled to 25,000 people. Powerless, that is, except for those that greeted the protestors with smiles and helped remove barbed wire and road obstacles, allowing the protestors to join the demonstration. Protestors reciprocated by giving the soldiers red and white roses.

Meanwhile, in the halls of the Lebanese Parliament a debate was taking place about a no-confidence vote for the PM. It was expected that the pro-Syrian government would survive the vote as pro-Syrian members control about two-thirds of the 128 seats, but Prime Minister Omar Karami stunned the world by announcing:

”Out of concern that the government does not become an obstacle to the good of the country, I announce the resignation of the government I had the honor to lead,” Karami told lawmakers.

A visibly rattled parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Karami: ”I think I deserved to have been told beforehand.”

That leaves pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud the arduous task of pulling together a government that is due to be reelected in May, a process that could take days or weeks depending on the amount of debate. Lahoud has given MPs 48 hours to propose a candidate for prime minister.

“We are seeking a prime minister who will be neutral and not from any of the two camps which is complicated in Lebanon, especially that he will have to carry a heavy political and economic weight,” opposition MP Ghassan Mukheiber told AFP.

“We want an interim cabinet to uncover the truth about Hariri’s assassination, draft a law and oversee elections this spring and reach an agreement for a Syrian pullout which should be achieved before the elections are held,” he said.

Syria’s public reaction has been subdued, to say the least, saying only that the changes in Lebanon are “an internal affair”. But there is a flurry of activity taking place behind the scenes as Syria attempts to garner support from its Arab allies:

Syria also appears to be offering some tokens of good will, the analysts said.

It has given some of its strongest verbal support to Palestinian peace efforts with Israel and last week said it wanted to cooperate with the United Nations to find a way to implement U.N. Security Council resolution 1559 calling for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon.

It also agreed on Monday to hand back to Jordan a huge tract of land along their border, heralding a new era of ties with Amman after decades of Syrian incursions on its land.

And it might also be helping Washington on the Iraq front to placate it over Lebanon, analysts and diplomats said.

“It seems Syria wants an easier way out … a compromise of some sort under an Arab umbrella,” a diplomat said. “They appear more convinced that they should comply with resolution 1559 but maybe they want to dress it with an Arab cover.”

That cover, an Arab diplomat said, could be in the guise of the Taif Accord that ended Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war, under which Syrian troops, which poured into Lebanon during the war, were to redeploy to the eastern Bekaa valley.

Why the Bekaa Valley? Because that’s where some of Saddam’s WMD are buried and they don’t want us to find them, of course.

Meanwhile, how is the most powerful black woman in the world doing in “mending fences” with old Europe?

At a press conference in London, Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, and Michel Barnier, French foreign minister, issued a joint statement calling for a Lebanon “free of outside interference and intimidation” following the collapse on Monday of the Syrian-backed government in Beirut.

The winds of change are sweeping through the region, aided by international pressure. But the most important factor is the people themselves: they have hope where before there was none:

”We didn’t have a chance to speak before,” said mart boa rad, a 70-year-old mother of five who joined the protest. ”We were afraid that we would be hurt or arrested, but we’re not afraid anymore.”

As The Age observed:

When Prime Minister owner karma announced the resignation of his Government on Monday, the Lebanese became the first Arabic-speaking people to bring down their government by mass protest in recent times. Other unhappy Arabs will be watching with interest.

There are, of course, those in the press that are casting the most critical light possible on these events (e.g., LA Times and WaPo). And it is true that at best we should be cautiously optomistic (as is the NY Times in an unsigned editorial) — democracy does not come easily to a culture mired in tyranny, despotism, nepotism and corruption. But consider this:

• Afghanistan: Free and open elections in Afghanistan, followed by the most peaceful period in decades and the Taliban slowly coming to the realization that they have no hope of destabilizing the government.

• Iraq: Free and open elections in the Purple Revolution of Iraq.
• Saudi Arabia: The first municipal elections in Saudi Arabia and an announcement by the Saudi foreign minister last Sunday that women may be allowed to vote in future elections a promise that women will take part in government, including positions within the foreign ministry this year.
• Palestine: Elections in Palestine, followed by the arrest of Palestinian terrorists by Palestinian security forces. More importantly, the democratically-elected parliament twice rejected Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia’s cabinet nominees for being political cronies rather than qualified candidates, forcing Qureia to fill his cabinet with technocrats — experts in their field, including 10 with doctorates, a medical doctor, a lawyer, several engineers and several with master’s degrees.
• Egypt: Egyptian President Mubarak asked Egypt’s parliament to amend the constitution to allow for multiparty elections later this year, the first in the history of the country. And even though most feel this initial election will be little more than a sham, it will serve as the “nose of the camel”; a practice run for real, democratic elections that will have to come in the near future.
• Syria: No doubt feeling the international pressure, Syria aided in arresting Saddam’s half brother.
• Arab League: Representatives from 18 of the 22 members of the Arab League met with representatives from the OECD to initiate a “multi-sectoral Arab public sector reform initiative” designed to “achieve administrative, financial, and judicial reforms.”

These are not just hopeful signs pointing to possible change. These are widespread epochal events that are the manifestation of a deep and meaningful metamorphosis in the Middle East.

No, this will not result in the establishment of Western-style democracy. It is not the beginnings of the creation of a Euro-style confederation of free states. What results may be something altogether new, perhaps even an unprecedented fusion of Islam and democracy.

But what is certain is that hope has been granted to millions and that change is coming. And no matter what the final result, it will end the rule of tyrants and give voice to the people, equality to women and prosperity to those who only knew borderline poverty.

What the president has started is working. We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.

Update: Syria promises to withdraw its troops from Lebanon “soon”, avoiding setting a timetable for logistical (rather than political) reasons.:

“It (withdrawal) should be very soon and maybe in the next few months. Not after that. I can’t give you a technical answer. The point is the next few months,” he told Time magazine.