The Arabs' push toward democracy is now in jeopardy in Saudi Arabia, Libya & Yemen ...

"... The Arab world's much-heralded collective push toward democracy is now in jeopardy, ... Over the weekend, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi reclaimed territory from outgunned rebels through a vicious offensive of air strikes and tank fire. Saudi Arabia flooded its streets with so many security forces that much-anticipated demonstrations never even materialized. And Yemen's president came back Saturday with snipers and riot forces even after record crowds had gathered for the "Friday of no return."...
"The regimes might withstand these pressures and remain, but they'll never be the same," said Mohammad al Qahtani, president of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association. "Now, the status quo can't be maintained anywhere in the Middle East."...
..... The outcome in the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a stalwart U.S. ally, was similarly dismal for the protesters. Witnesses said riot police were bumper-to-bumper in Riyadh, the capital. Protesters couldn't pierce the security cordon to walk to agreed-upon demonstrations sites, and the roads were blocked from all sides.The only protests that gathered steam were in the majority-Shiite Muslim east, and even those were quickly put down. The combination of low protester turnout and the aggressive reaction of security forces left many activists worried about Saudi Arabia's potential for reform.
"What happens now in Libya and Yemen will definitely affect the Saudi government's attitude," said Alia al Farid, a Saudi human rights activist who's been jailed in the past for her work. "As long as the government keeps ignoring the demands, I don't know how far the protest can go and how negative the situation will become."