The Middle East Kings of Cowardice by Marc Lynch
Lynch revient sur la multiplication, dans les monarchies du Golfe, des condamnations pour ’insultes à l’émir’/ roi/ sultan. Il y voit le signe que le mythe de la spécificité monarchique, basé sur l’idée que les souverains jouissent d’un certain attachement populaire, ne tient pas. Il y voit aussi le signe de l’érosion de leur légitimité, après que le printemps arabe ait fait tomber ’la culture de la conformité publique’
In other words, the crackdown across the Gulf suggests that its regimes are probably not nearly as stable as they’d like everyone to believe. If the monarchs of the region were truly stable and legitimate, they would brush aside these insults. Nothing telegraphs weakness and insecurity quite like lawsuits and arrests over perceived disrespect.
Egypt gets all the headlines — and of course Bassem Youssef should win the right to make fun of Morsy’s hat. But Egypt’s drama shouldn’t distract attention from the significance of the mounting battle in the Gulf over the right to directly criticize one’s leaders — humorously or not. Rulers who imprison poets or bloggers over “insults” should always be mocked both at home and in the international realm. If they want to be respected, they should earn it through democratic inclusion, open engagement, transparency, and accountability.
▻http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/04/18/middle_east_kings_of_cowardice
