Juan Cole who is a history professor at the University of Michigan and author "Engaging the Muslim World." His blog "Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East History and Religion" is worth the visit at juancole.com.

Specific to what we're discussing today, obviously, is the observation of the unknown. The Middle East in a state that virtually no other person either in those countries or outside of them can truly anticipate what will happen but for in the broadest terms, which is that the winds of change are clearly blowing, and what was is unlikely to continue to be, but what will be we do not know. But it has all sorts of things going on right now from oil to corn. The food and energy supplies of the world are influenced greatly, at least in the short term, by how this happens almost regardless of what happens.

And Juan has been talking a lot about that as well, and it's a pleasure to welcome you to the conversation. How does it feel to observe the unknown happening in real-time?