Hosni Mubarak, Humiliated

The Arab Spring saw a significant landmark Wednesday with the start of the Mubarak trial in Cairo, Egypt. What a fall from grace for 83-year-old Hosni Mubarak, lying feebly in a hospital bed inside the defendent's cage, flanked by his two sons in white prison fatigues, on trial for charges of corruption and ordering the killing of his own citizens, and undergoing the same court proceedings as a common criminal. It was a sight to behold for many Egyptians, frustrated with the sluggish pace of reform in the country, and, in light of the continuing violence in Libya, Syria, and Yemen, a salient signal for dictatorial strongmen across the Muslim world.