Mideast turfs out presidents who would be king

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03/28/2011
DUBAI — Revolts across the Arab world have targeted longtime presidents seen as eager to set up ruling dynasties, while the region’s established monarchies have so far emerged relatively unscathed.

“It is clear that the ones who have been in the line of fire of the Arab revolts are the presidents, but even the monarchies might not be immune to the contagion,” says analyst Saman Shaikh of the Brookings Institute in Doha.

Tunisia started the ball rolling in January when President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was sent packing into exile, to be followed by Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak the following month under the weight of mass street protests.

“People power” has since set its sights on embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh: between them, the three heads of state have amassed several decades in power..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110328com3.html