July 23

Beirut's Daily Star remembers that July 23, the date on which Udai and Qusai died, was once celebrated as Nasserite Egypt's National Day. It commemorated the fall of Egypt's monarchy, "an event that infused the entire Arab world with hope that bold new leadership would sweep the region." Instead, Nasser led the Arab world to disaster. The editorial continues,

With any luck, Arab history reached a genuine turning point on Tuesday and what comes next will be fundamentally different from that which went before. There is no more convincing argument for radical reform than the economic, moral, political and social bankruptcy of the Arab ruling class. Saddam?s sons represented a new generation that thankfully failed to follow in its predecessor? footsteps. Their demise offers a chance for legitimate leadership to take root, not just in Iraq but elsewhere in the Arab world as well.