Egyptians Rejoice The Ouster Of President Mubarak

It took the people of Egypt thirty years to garner enough courage to stand up to their leader- But once they did, there was no stopping them. Just 18 days after it all began, the historic revolution is over. On the evening of February 11th, President Hosni Mubarak succumbed to the wishes of his people, by resigning and handing over interim power, to the country's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

The resignation, delivered on live television by Vice President, Omar Suleiman, took the world by surprise, since just last night, the dictator had refused to step down immediately, saying it would throw the country in chaos. Instead, he had promised his people that he would do so, after the general elections scheduled for this September. This was not enough to appease the public, who wanted an immediate action, not a future promise that could be broken. It seems like the President finally took to heart what he heard and decided to give in to their request.

Needless to say, the people of Egypt are overjoyed and out on the streets rejoicing their victory and looking forward to better times ahead. While this is a very positive first step, there are a lot of challenges and uncertainties that lie ahead, not the least of which is to set up a democratic election and pick a leader who will look out for them. To succeed in these uncertain times, this most populous Arab nation, will have to stay as united as they have been, for the last 18 days.

While nobody knows how the events will unfold in Egypt, one thing is for sure - Their success is bound to galvanize other nations going through a similar situation. The big question is - Who's next?

Resources: edition.cnn.com, npr.org