On January 14th last year Tunisia began to celebrate the departure of dictator Ben Alì and dream of a dignified, democratic and free future. One month later, under pressure from protesters in Tahrir Square, Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak was obliged to resign and the army appeared to be the only institution that still enjoyed the trust of the country’s citizens. On December 15th the United States Secretary of Defence announced the end of America’s military operations in Iraq. Has a new era begun in the Arab world? It certainly has, but many concerns and new fears still trouble it.