Tradition, Transition and Triumph
Royal succession in the Middle East in the context of global tumult
The passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (1949-2022) has been followed by the assumption of the rulership of Abu Dhabi and the Presidency of the UAE by Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This has been the latest royal succession in the Middle East following those of Saudi Arabia (2015), Oman and Kuwait (2020).
The transitions of power in Arab monarchies highlights the radical difference between monarchies and the various systems of government which have sought to replace monarchies. Monarchies provide a framework for succession which can function smoothly, while many other systems have serious faults in their succession process that can lead to chaos.
Moreover, the monarchies of the Arab World represent continuity with ancient tradition - the succession of dynasties which have ruled through Islamic and pre-Islamic eras in the Arabian Peninsula and beyond, which are rooted in the traditional social structure of the Arab people and also carry with them inherited traditions of family, tribe and religion.
The last decade has not only demonstrated the resilience of monarchies, but the utter failure of every ideology that has sought to replace them - from various forms of Arab nationalism (such as Baathism), Communism and Islamism - all of which produced nightmares for the region, conflict and misery. Nowhere is the spirit of a new age for the region more evident than in the Abraham Accords, a rejection of the dogma of these replacement ideologies.
Indeed, what we have seen with the reaction to the recent statement of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi of Iran is that the opponents of the Pahlavi monarchy represent the Iranian versions of the same redundant ideologies. These ideologies which helped bring Khomeini to power in 1979, even if proponents of leftist and republican currents claim now to oppose the regime, they will never shirk moral responsibility for enabling it in the first place. Iranian people decisively reject them and profess their support for Reza Pahlavi.
The irony of ironies is that Western democracies are now the last refuge of ideologies rejected in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The royal families of the Arab World have support of their people, while their enemies have support of corrupt Western politicians. Similarly, Reza Pahlavi has support of the Iranian people, while his enemies have the support of the same corrupt Western politicians.