Arab presidents have a pattern in common
In a commentary for the Emirati newspaper Al Bayan, Maan al Bayari considered Arab presidential elections as manipulated.
He highlighted the history of elections in the Arab world since the post-independence era. It turned out to form a pattern where most presidents amended the election laws to remain in power.
The only exception was in Mauritania in 1992 when Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya brought some "legitimacy" to his rule by holding election in which he won that year and subsequently in 1997 and 2003. But he was overthrown by the military later as he was planning to stay for a fourth term.
The Sudanese Omar al Bashir strengthened his position through constitutional revisions, granting him the right to stand for multiple terms. The same strategy was followed by - to name but a few - the former presidents Hosni Mubarak and Zine al Abidine ben Ali, and the incumbents Ali Abdullah Saleh and Aziz Boutefliqa.
Omar Guelleh, Djibouti's president, amended the constitution shortly before the elections to allow him to run for a new presidential term. He claimed that his people understood his legal demands to change the election laws, describing the amendments as the right decision.
The rationales given by heads of states to justify changes of election laws are strikingly similar.
Libya could be saved if Qaddafi wanted
"The fears expressed by the Libyan former foreign minister Moosa Koosa signals that Libya's crisis is taking a new turn after Col Muammar al Qaddafi has plunged the country into a crisis that might prolong the war and create further divisions," noted the UAE daily Akhbar al Arab in its editorial.
"Col Qaddafi could have avoided this crisis and its repercussions if he opted for a more rational attitude in the interest of the nation.
Now the social contract, which used to bind the leadership with the people, has broken. Col Qaddafi could have met the people's demands quietly and with goodwill, if he adopted a nationalist conscience.
"Libya has remained underdeveloped for decades. The leadership had no intention to introduce reforms or modernise the state systems. As new generations of Libyans grew up with a more enlightened attitude, they sought to participate in the decision-making process of their country, and not to compete for power."
Had he been aware of these demandsa long time ago and acted positively on them, Col Qaddafi would have succeeded largely in providing a better life for his people and putting his country in a better place among other nations. As is the case now, Libya urgently needs a rescue plan in which the Arab League should be a major player beside Nato to complement efforts aimed at getting the country out of the crisis.
Security forces attend classes in Syria
The impact of protests at Damascus University has prompted authorities to deploy security forces inside and around the Sciences College. Some even attended courses alongside students in amphitheatres, observed Tareq Alhomayed in an opinion piece for the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al Awsat.
Syrian activists ridiculed this step through a Facebook page, saying: "We have made the security forces pray together, attend the Friday sermon, and now they study with us at the university. We hope this will help them learn how to better deal with protesters."
It is inconceivable that a state sends police to mosques to check worshippers' identity cards and to universities as well as cafes. It is, likewise, unacceptable to believe the theory of conspiracy or the pictures of unidentified masked men firing on people in the streets.
This reminds us of the goons used by the former regime in Egypt to sabotage the revolution and, before that. Saddam Hussein's martyrs in Iraq. Currently, Col Qaddafi is using what is called his brigades. The examples mentioned show that regimes depend more on militias than on institutions. These states handle security and deal with their people with purely a police mind, no more, no less. Governments are less likely, therefore, to respect people's rights or improve their livelihoods.
Indefinite presidential terms soon extinct
To see the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and both his sons placed in custody pending interrogation is a beautiful sight that augurs a brighter future not only for Egypt but also for the Arab world, observed Mazen Hammad, a columnist with the Qatari newspaper Al Watan.
"Who would have believed only a few months ago that the president of Egypt would be interrogated in a hospital in Sharm El Sheikh while his sons, Jamal and Alaa, would be taken into custody in Tora prison where they joined the gang of thieves who were once the leaders of the country?"
The developments in Egypt are no joke. They represent a serious transformation based on transparency and accountability. No one is above the law in the new Egypt, especially Mr Mubarak who never flinched at ripping off his own people.
It is a transformation that must be causing tremors among dictators and their corrupt entourages across many countries. They can no longer treat their country and people as private property.
With a constitutional amendment that determines a presidential term at four years, as is the case in new Egypt, indefinite stays at leadership positions are on their way to extinction.
* Digest compiled by The Translation Desk