Strategic Horizons: American Defense and Arab Monarchies

As the Arab Spring enters its third year, several trends have become clear. The world now knows that massive and effective popular opposition to authoritarian regimes can coalesce with stunning speed and little advance warning. In an era of interconnectedness and information saturation, revolution often moves in waves as the collapse of one dictator inspires the opponents of other ones. Getting rid of dictators may be bloody and difficult, as in Libya and Syria, but even when it's relatively quick, as in Egypt and Tunisia, the transition to a stable post-authoritarian system is extraordinarily difficult and fraught with the potential for extremism and renewed violence.

The suffering and triumph of the past few years remain unfinished, not only for the transitions in Libya, Syria, Tunisia and Egypt, but for other Arab states as well, particularly the monarchies. ...