Two kingdoms, two responses to the changing world. The Saudis have managed to maintain their grip on power thanks to oil money but those days won't last forever. Morocco may not be going far enough, but at least there should be some credit for the king showing some ability to change. Of course, without the petro-dollars his options are a bit more limited.
Moroccans voted on Friday on whether to adopt a new constitution that the king has championed as an answer to demands for greater freedoms – but that protesters say will still leave the monarch firmly in control.
The referendum on the constitution is near certain to result in a resounding yes vote, like all past referendums in this North African country and generally throughout the Arab world.
It is buoyed by a huge media and government campaign, and is seen by some as a way to tentatively open up Moroccan politics, while heading off the kind of tumultuous regime change seen elsewhere in the region.
