Tarek Elshayeb called his parents as often as possible during the recent uprising in Egypt. Elshayeb, an Egyptian native, wanted to make sure his parents were all right.
"What's unique about this revolution," said Elshayeb, director of international student and scholar services at Western Kentucky University, "is there are no individual or political party leadership."
Elshayeb was one of four university professors and faculty members who led a discussion Wednesday about the protests in the Middle East. The four men, who have connections to Middle Eastern countries, offered their views on what is happening and what will happen next.
The protests, especially the revolt in Egypt that led to the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak, are somewhat unique in nature. For example, the Egyptian protesters were made up of students, workers and others who did not have a strong allegiance to a political party, Elshayeb said.
They had no political ideology or agenda - they simply wanted to bring down the system. It's hard to succeed without a set agenda, but the Egyptians prevailed, he said.
"It's a matter of self-management," Elshayeb said.
Revolutions are not a new concept in the Middle East. Egypt, for example, was occupied by many countries for about 8,000 years before the people halted British rule of Egypt in 1952. The country set up a republic and "it was the first time that an Egyptian would rule the country," Elshayeb said.
Revolutions became a Middle Eastern theme in the 1950s. The Iraq monarchy was overthrown in 1958 and strong anti-regime movements hit Iran, Syria and other regions, said Juan Romero, a history professor.
"One striking similarity," he said, "was young people, military officers and students in particular played a leadership role in these revolutionary movements."
Fast forward to today and one difference stands out - immediate access to the global community through technology. In fact, young revolutionists used social websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to rally protesters. By the time they arrived in Liberty Square in Cairo, hundreds of thousands of other protesters were there.
"People have seen they can make their leaders learn, and they can make their leaders listen," said Soleiman Kiasatpour, a political science professor who focuses on Middle Eastern topics.
The economy has played a role in the protests; people are tired of few jobs, poverty and high food prices. But the corrupt government has ruffled the most feathers. In Egypt, Mubarak's administration rigged the last election to continue its reign - something that fueled the latest protests, panelists said.
One audience member piped up in support of other Arab leaders. Not all leaders are corrupt, and some Middle Eastern countries have great leadership, she said. Leaders who spout their corrupt, bizarre agendas, such as Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, give other leaders a bad name, she said.
As Libyans protest and violence erupts in the country, the media play a major role in the revolution. For example, Gadhafi's speech, in most cases, was badly translated by the media, said Khaldoun Almousily, a Jordan native and faculty member in the Modern Languages Department.
"It was one of the hardest speeches I've had to listen to in my life," he said, adding that some translators incorrectly quoted Gadhafi.
His spiel included messages, such as he's going to burn Libya to the ground and he is the god of Libya, Almousily said.
"That's what the translator should have said," he said.
As for the future, in most cases it's up in the air. For countries such as Egypt, where the regime has already fallen, there are many paths people can take. They will likely opt to change some constitutional articles, and Egyptians might pave the way for religious parties, specifically Islamic groups, to take power, panelists said.
Still, despite violent reports from Libya and images of blood-spattered protesters, the revolts largely have been tame, they said.
"I'm just struck by how nonviolent these demonstrations are," Kiasatpour said. "These are regimes built on violence, and they're falling apart by sheer people power."
It's something that eases tension for natives, such as Elshayeb. His parents live in a middle class neighborhood that has been taken over by protesters. Young people took shifts running the streets, knocking on residents' doors and asking if they needed anything, such as food or medicine.
"That showed how people cared about their country, about their neighborhoods," he said.