The Arab uprising, which started in Tunisia and spread across northern Africa and the Middle East, has so far caused the collapse of four dictatorships.

In Tunisia, the uprising was relatively peaceful and generated hope. Tunisia's was the gold standard of this spring's revolutions. There was little bloodshed and the country is now firmly on the road to democracy. A fair and free election was held and government bodies are being formed.

After Tunisia came the revolution in Egypt. Hosni Mubarak's regime collapsed within eighteen days and a military council led by Marshall Mohammad Husain Tantawi was formed. This council is conceived of as an interim body that will smooth the nation's transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Despite holding elections, Egypt faces major challenges ahead. Let's not forget that democracy is being advanced by the army. It is very important for the world to see that armies are able to handle such a situation and should really be praised.

In Jordan, the monarchy has survived but the people have gained some of freedoms they desired. Protesters sought not bloodshed but the recognition of the people's demands in a peaceful manner. The leaders of the country have responded positively to these demands, and King Abdullah is the first Arab leader to say Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, should step down.

In the Yemen uprising, blood was shed.

The situation in Libya was worse, and there was widespread fighting and bloodshed. There, the UN Security Council got involved. After Nato intervened on the side of the rebels, Muammar Gaddafi's regime collapsed. Estimates suggest that more than 30,000 people died during nine months of fighting in Libya.

Colonel Gaddafi was captured alive but then swiftly killed in an inhumane manner that raised many questions about the revolution in Libya. The revolutionaries should not, of course, have behaved like the people in their custody had done. The country will face many challenges as the spring morphs into a bloody autumn and winter.

The situation in Syria differs from those in other Arab states.

There are three solutions for Syria.

The first is elections without the intervention of other countries as the regime claims it can do. The regime did do what it promised, up to a point, by holding council and municipal elections. The current government wants to bring amendments to the constitution, and supports the formation of political parties and a free media of which there are currently none.

A UN report outlined various human rights violations and the report's author wanted Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

The current situation in Syria shows that the first solution is not working. It is estimated that more than 5,000 people have died during the unrest and thousands more have been detained or are missing. The number of casualties grows each day.

The Syrian government has rejected requests from the Arab League to let regional and international human rights monitors enter the country.
The second formula is a regional solution, as was implemented in Yemen. A regional solution prompted Presient Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 33 years in power. The revolution there was bloody and violent, but regional intervention worked.

The third formula is the one used in Libya and includes the military intervention of the international community. The UN Security Council has shown itself able to find a formula to act against Arab nations with the approval of the Arab League.

In the case of Libya we saw that after approval of Arab League, international forces stepped in after the UN approved Resolution 1973 to protect the civilian population.

Unfortunately, the Syrian government has ignored the demands of the Arab League to withdraw the armed forces from its towns and stop the bloodshed. The government has also refused to release political prisoners and negotiate with protestors.

As well as sanctions on the oil trade imposed by the Security Council, the Arab League has frozen the bank accounts of Syrian officials and imposed other sanctions on the country including a block on flights to Arabic countries and limiting trade.

The Arab League has also included some high-ranking Syrian government official in the sanctions. Being against the Arab League may prove very dangerous for Syria because it may pave the way to action by the UN Security Council.

Considering all three solutions to the Syrian conflict, an Arabic and Islamic solution is better than other solutions because the Syrian government will not countenance any alternative. An international solution will be as violent as the one witnessed in Libya.

So, the Arabic formula which that s approved by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference would be the best solution to the Syrian conflict.

The Yemeni solution would be better than Libyan solution. Being against a regional solution would make the situation worse for Syria because it will then fall to the UN Security Council to decide what to do. Russia still supports Syria in the Security Council for now.

But, ultimately, Gaddafi was by himself at the end, and Syria's Assad may do well to consider the fate that befell him in Sirte.