""All of this confirms that what happened in our region – with the exception of
Syria – are not revolutions or change, and that nobody has learnt the lesson. If
you want to know the true meaning of change and openness you must compare the
Arab Spring states with Saudi Arabia following the September 11 attacks or
post-Saddam Iraq. The reality is that Saudi Arabia is synonymous with wisdom;
this is something that should be the subject of a book, not a brief article,
however the absence of serious media attention to this issue required me to shed
light on it here."" (thanks Mick?)