“Markets Are Terrified” as Middle East Turmoil Continues to Flare, Says Expert

Wednesday brought additional fighting in Libya, protests in Syria and a state of emergency in Yemen as unrest continues to roil entrenched regimes across the Middle East and North Africa.

Having already toppled dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt, the so-called Jasmine Revolution has "got a long way to go," says Robert Powell, Mid-East analyst for The Economist Intelligence Unit. "The aims of the protests are extremely difficult for entrenched regimes to meet; there's very little middle ground."

In the accompanying video, Powell and I discuss where the movement is likely to spread next, the U.S.'s inconsistent — and arguably hypocritical -- response, Iran's role in Bahrain as well as the current situation in Egypt.

We also discuss the potential for unrest in Saudi Arabia, the scenario about which Powell says "markets are terrified."