The Arab Spring Spreads to Non-Arab Lands

The Arab Spring has now begun to spread in unusual and unpredictable ways.

The long-simmering Tuareg war in the north of the West African country of Mali mushroomed in recent days, leading to a military coup in the capital Bamako and the seizure by rebels of the ancient trading city of Timbuktu. The rebels just declared independence as thousands streamed south toward safety out of the scorching Sahara.

This likely wouldn't have happened if Moammar Qaddafi was still in power in Libya.

Qaddafi...