Egypt and Libya

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Owen Bennett Jones introduces wit, reflection and analysis from Sara Hashash - witnessing the laborious efforts to rescue books from Cairo's Institut d'Egypte which were badly damaged by fire after pro-democracy demonstrations in December 2011; and from Katy Watson - among the young militiamen who're causing concern for the future in Libya. "It feels like the un-making of history" Nations need a heritage - even if they're trying to change. That's why the cultural losses in Iraq after the US invasion - like the looting of the national museum and library in Baghdad - were so very destabilising and so bad for the country's sense of itself. Something similar happened in Egypt late last year: amid the struggle for democracy and the seas of demonstrators in Tahrir Square, a treasure trove of historical books nearly went up in flames. As Sara Hashash now reports, there is a big effort being made to repair as much the damage as possible. Nurse, the screens - and my Kalashnikov "After me, the deluge" – it's an argument that's been used by absolute rulers ever since Louis XV in France. In other words, stick with me, or face the chaotic consequences of a revolution. But what does that deluge actually look like? Once people have taken up arms to overthrow their government, when might they be willing to go back to a civilian life? One place that might give some guidance on the matter is present-day Libya, trying to regain its balance after the Gaddafi years. As Katy Watson saw on a recent visit, trying to reimpose order within a more democratic framework may be a challenge.