TED Talks about the Middle East

I watched this morning two interesting TED discussions about the Muslim world, through the words of two educated women.

First, it is about the attitudes that supposedly determined the 'Arab Spring', a relatively recent talk, outlining optimistically the prospect of Egypt's leadership in the region. 

The second, about Yemen, is from 2011, and mention the common efforts of men and women in fighting for their rights. As in many other countries in the region, the young Yemenis lead the fight and use their Western knowledge - with jeans and English language. The discussion is held by the editor-in-chief of Yemen Times, a publication in English. 

In both cases, it is not very clear what the outcome will be sooner or later. It is important to see the optimistic side of the story when the reality looks dark. The contact with people is very important and very often I was surprised by the highly educated Yemeni people and the creative Egyptian enthusiasm. Even though I might be skeptical about their chances to go further with their dreams, it is important for the moment to know that there are people who dream.