As for the future of Egypt...

Well, ding dong, the witch is dead, and all that jazz. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has finally stepped down after trying every half measure in the book to quell the protests that have rocked his country since last month.

Mubarak sacked his cabinet, had his son, who was in position to take over after his father’s rule, and other top official resign. He instituted a curfew and enforced it with water cannons and tear gas. His Vice President, Omar Suleiman, met with opposition parties and announced reforms to the constitution, including instituting free elections And none of that was enough to save the job of the man who ran Egypt for 30 years. Egyptians had simply had enough of Mubarak and continually demanded his resignation right up until he finally stepped down two days ago.

Egypt celebrated and has been in the process of cleaning up ever since. But the future isn’t really any clearer than it was when the protests first began.

Because of the strict restrictions on opposition parties under Mubarak, there is no natural successor for power in the country, nor even any real procedures for electing one. So, in the interim, the military is in charge. They’ve dissolved parliament and will be running the country until elections or held, or for the next six months. The emergency laws that have been in place since the beginning of Mubarak’s reign are still in place, and the constitution has been suspended pending a vote on amendments suggested by a committee.

It’s unclear where the country is headed next, but it seems likely enough that it will be in a brighter direction.