ASHAMED OF lagging behind Albania. “The whole lumbering apparatus of the Egyptian state conspired to make itself appear humorless and thuggish and to convince its people that they were being held as serfs by fools. Again, the sense of insult ran very deep, and Mubarak’s bullies were too dense to understand their own mistake.” There are a few lessons here that may apply closer to home, as well.

UPDATE: Reader Bill Rudersdorf emails: “I checked to confirm, and yes, the wastrel King Farouk, the fellow Nasser overthrew in 1952, was part… Albanian. Ah, the delicious irony!” Compared to what came after, Farouk is looking good. As I noted earlier, his heir, King Fuad II, is still alive and no doubt following events with interest.