This has the severe potential to turn the Middle East into even more of a mess. It's a region that has developed a kind of tense 'unstable stability' from the pull of interests and relations between it's states (and nations, peoples, cultures etc) in all different directions. Changing that dynamic has the potential to see it collapse into utter chaos, even if the intentions of all these states are initially good the others in the region will be terrified at the possible outcomes that could arise from all this.
It will also have obvious repercussions for Western interests in the Middle East - we have benefitted from some of comparative tense stability in the region - Mubarak was a man who the West knew how to deal with and knew that year on year, would be there and was open to Western thinking for example. He's also a man that Israel knew how to deal with.
The Middle East could benefit from this upheaval, if it is allowed to go on (an important if). We could see the beginnings of a more peaceful force in the region, one more open to a globalised world and more open to the rights on the individual. Equally, and this is another worry, we could see an Iranian style theocracy take over. Certainly the Muslim Brotherhood will be sniffing at the scent of power there for the taking. I hope that the region takes a course that is good for it, and for the world.
I'm just not holding my breath it will. I'm also not sure much will change at all. There are too many interests against things changing.
Listened to it on loop last night, I'm a huge fan of the band so had to buy the full album/vinyl etc (just like I did with In Rainbows too...) the first chance I got.
First listen during the first couple of tracks I really wasn't that taken with it - it all seemed to be headed in the direction I hoped they wouldn't after In Rainbows, glitch microbeats and another foray into heavily electronic sound. I've nothing against their electronic stuff, I like a lot of it, but I've always enjoyed their guitar sound more. Had the creeping doubt the whole thing was going to disappoint me.
But the second half of the album is a lot stronger. Codex, Give Up the Ghost and Separator really round off the album fantastically and on a few more listens I now love the whole thing. You can definitely hear a progression of ideas from the HTTT era - a couple of tracks reminded me of the B-Side Broken Bass Bin for example, and of course Morning Mr Magpie has been knocking around for years too (incidently, that song imo will always sound best on the bootleg Gagging Order: Acoustic Recordings album recorded in Yorke's kitchen that's knocking around)..
It's a top quality album and my only disappointment with it as things stand is theres not enough of it - another couple of tracks would not be a bad thing. Probably slotting in at number 4 in my ranking of the albums, behind OK Computer, the Bends and In Rainbows. And Codex in particular will definitely cement a place in my all time favourite Radiohead tracks playlist very shortly.
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