Marina Ottaway worries about the two revolutions:
Egypt and Tunisia have entered a dangerous phase of their transitions. The interim governments have little legitimacy—they were set up as caretakers to organize quick elections. But elections are being postponed in both countries, the transition is stretching on and disillusioned crowds are taking to the streets again.
Popular pressure, necessary to maintain the momentum of reform, risks degenerating into the rule of the street. Countries in transition face contradictory imperatives: they need to move fast to elect legitimate governments that can implement real reforms, but they need time to achieve some consensus about the fundamental principles that should underpin the new political system and to enact laws to regulate elections and the formation of political parties. Finding a balance is a difficult task.
Nathan Brown takes a closer look at the Tunisian electoral process, while Erik Churchill puzzles through the country's issue with voter turnout. Larison thinks the US should just forget trying to "help" Egyptian liberals win their elections.
(Photo: People demonstrate on August 8, 2011 in front of Tunis' municipal theatre to demand an independent Justice and a clear break with former president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali's regime. By Fethi Belaid/AFP/Getty Images)
The Dish 