Bahrain’s Pearl Roundabout Demolished

For some strange reasons the security forces in Bahrain decided to destroy one of Bahrain’s most memorable landmarks..

This reminded me of a letter one reader has sent The Economist :

Simplistic as it may seem, the collapse of dictatorships could be a matter of simple city geography: the availability of large public squares for people to congregate and take control. Like the convergent flows of a tsunami, the waves of crowds calling for democracy gained momentum in Tunis’s November 7 Square and Cairo’s Tahrir Square. The control of public squares seems paramount; Muammar Qaddafi has addressed his supporters in Tripoli’s Green Square. Although the beginning of a people’s democracy can start in cyberspace you still need real space for it to happen.

On a related note, I’m very disappointed at how Aljazeera and Al-arabiya are (not) covering the Bahrain events. I found a good alternative in France-24 (Arabic). They actually bother to talk with protesters and air the injustices they’re subjected to.