Monarchs Up, Presidents Down

The New York Times reports the encouraging news that the US government seems to have concluded that the unrest sweeping the Middle East is more likely to topple the region's presidents than its monarchs. One reason for this is that the monarchies have more legitimacy precisely because unlike authoritarian presidents they do not pretend to be "democratic." Another is that while not perfect the monarchies generally do a better job taking care of their people. What's particularly surprising is not so much that this is the case, but that the Obama administration has apparently recognized it. (Thanks to my brother William for calling my attention to this article.)