The exception and the rule.

The now he is, now he isn't fiasco of Ali Saleh's resignation is only adding to the confusion that is endemic in the Middle East. After declaring his resignation was immanent the embattled President has now declared he will serve out his term.
In Syria the clashes are getting more and more violent, with armed security forces reportedly shooting at protesters in the Cities of Latakia and Daraa.
In Jordan despite the use of the Saudi trick of getting religious scholars to give edicts not to demonstrate , the protests for constitutional reform continued with students waving banners reading " Democracy is action not words".
Iraq has warned that continued suppression of the Shiite majority in Bahrainand the military intervention by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could spark a sectarian war.
Unlike Egypt or Libya where the issues were not sectarian the issues here have "become between Sunnis and Shias "  said the Iraqi PM.
That has not stopped the continuance of the crackdown on Bahrainis.
The soon to be fingerless citizens of Saudi are however benefiting from the stick / carrot approach of the regime as the state coffers swell with the proceeds of climbing oil prices and production.
Despite their ongoing involvement in the occupation of Bahrain the United Arab Emirates who rely on western patronage to remain in power have committed six F -16 and six Mirage fighters to help enforce the no fly zone over Libya . The pilots I suspect will not be UAE nationals.
With continued bombing of pro Gaddafi positions the outcome is as opaque as ever.
Though the intention of stopping the massacres in Tripoli have so far been achieved and that territory reclaimed by Gadaffi has been retaken by the resistance it is difficult to say what extent this success can be deemed a victory.
The other intention of intervention we were told was the signal it would send out to other despots.
No doubt that it disturbed some in the Middle East but with back room deals being done sealed with the blood of innocents some are still precariously balancing on their perches.
Meanwhile Israel continues to pound Gaza as the United Nations and European Union try to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
In the absence of a coherent political solution the long term strategy remains unclear especially as double standards and hypocrisy are no longer the exception but the rule.