With the events of the Arab Spring shaking the status quo of many
states in the Middle East and North Africa, (MENA) the monarchies in the region
realized that adaptation was the only option to survive. The different degrees
of adaptation naturally vary. While the western world has edged away from unchecked
monarchy, it remains in the MENA in states such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and
Kuwait, among others. When examining why this is, it is important to look
at the cultural and political history of the region, as well as current
circumstances.
Due to the relatively young age of the states in the MENA, there
is a wide spread on where states draw their legitimacy. Some claim their
connections to Islam, others democracy, and some rely on pure strength. The
monarchies in the region are typically ruled by a family which either bases
their power on history, or current might. This created a difficult situation
following the Arab Spring, when the people began to demand a voice in politics.
A monarchy thrives when the people give their full faith to the monarch to
govern in their own best interest, but when that trust is violated or doubted,
the dominance which the monarch hold weakens substantially. Since the monarch
does not want to cede all their power, they slightly liberalize and combat
their opposition by giving up small pieces of control.
What often brings about many of the
problems faced by monarchies is the influx of rent money and the corruption
which typically follows. Corruption has become one of the major issues in the
inflated bureaucracies of MENA states, with bribery and dishonesty often being
more effective than not. Paradoxically, this money from rents is what helps
preserve the power of the monarch, as they can use this money to distribute to
households, work on infrastructure projects, or other public works. By
appeasing some immediate needs, the monarchies survive. However, this is only
applicable in states that have the resources to profit from, monarchies in
states like Jordan have had to find other ways to survive.
With monarchical states that are
resource poor, they must appeal to other monarchies in the MENA, and operate as
a club to keep each other in power. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a
group of monarchies in the MENA that helps preserve their own interests and
provides support if any of their regimes are threatened.
One of the biggest issues facing
monarchies moving forward is the potential long-term success of states such as
Tunisia. If an example can be made of a state which had a popular revolution
and came out on the other side not under a military dictatorship, potential
revolutionaries in monarchies might begin to seriously consider a shot. While
challenges to the power of monarchies is certainly not a new thing, the
different types of media, from cable news networks to Twitter have changed the
way people can access news and information. Additionally, traditionally
oppressed peoples in monarchical states have demanded equality under the law
and representation. With some of these groups having large populations, or
living in strategically important regions, their submission to the monarchy is
crucial to its survival.
While King Henry said, “Uneasy lies
the head that wears a crown,” the uneasiness truly rests upon those that are
being ruled. While a leader should not be in fear of those they are ruling, the
lack of a truly mutually beneficial relationship between a ruler and the
citizens is not a good recipe for a state.
