Arabs search for stable political systems
On a visit to Jordan last week I had the opportunity to speak with friends from all walks of life and gauge the Jordanian response to populist reform demands, which continues to baffle and frustrate most observers. King Abdullah II faces qualitatively new forms of protest and opposition in the country that are potentially more significant than any political challenges he or his father ever faced before. That is because those speaking out against the government and regime are mostly disenchanted or marginalized East Bank Jordanians, traditionally the bulwark of regime strength, including many in poor rural areas who have become deeply estranged from the center in Amman.
More ominously, critics are making accusations in public against the king’s family (for corruption and abusing power) and against the intelligence service (for interfering too much in people’s lives and work) – both red lines that Jordanians never dared cross previously.
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The bad news is that none of these political options has succeeded yet in shaping a stable political system. The good news is that intense activity is under way in many Arab countries to develop political mechanisms that work, ending half a century of frozen national development that all in the region are pleased to leave behind.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2012/May-30/175061-arabs-search-for-stable-political-systems.ashx#ixzz1wKl5aUhg
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)