BEIRUT -- Two new men who appeared on the fast-changing stage of Arab politics this week -- the defected General Manaf Tlas in Syria and newly appointed Prime Minister Hisham Kandil in Egypt -- may play pivotal roles in shaping the evolution of their countries. Some of what they represent makes you proud and hopeful to be part of this evolving Arab world. Some of it also makes you want to vomit in disgust. Changing orders are like that, full of diseased and distorted…

SIENA, Italy—I found myself Monday reading about the results of the first post-Gaddafi Libyan parliamentary election in between visits to the great Piazza del Campo and its majestic Town Hall in Siena, Italy, where I am attending an international conference on the role of civil society, philanthropy and the non-governmental sector. Two elements in the Siena monuments particularly caught my…

BEIRUT -- How does society use legal means at its disposal to stop dictators from using their power to kill and terrorize civilians? Several simultaneous efforts around the world -- related to Sierra Leone, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan and Iran -- point to various available options, without a single proven one. This debate has been revived by the conviction this week of former Liberian President…