The Economist<\/em> for 19 January 2019:<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the refugee agency of the United Nations \u2014 formally, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees \u2014 815 citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia applied for asylum in 2017. \u00a0That\u2019s not a huge number. \u00a0But it\u2019s a 318% increase over the analogous figure for 2012.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moreover, the numbers of asylum-seekers don\u2019t convey the full story. \u00a0Jamal Khashoggi, for instance, went into exile in America before agents of the Saudi Arabian government brutally murdered and dismembered him \u2014 appallingly, that order should perhaps be reversed \u2014 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October. \u00a0This isn\u2019t uncommon: Saudis who are uncomfortable with life at home and who have the means to do so often take up residence in places like Washington DC and London without feeling the slightest need to seek asylum.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Should such departures be blamed on the repression notoriously overseen by the Saudi crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman? \u00a0No, because the trend began well before he became the heir apparent to (and the power behind) the Saudi throne.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moreover, as The Economist<\/em> points out, \u201cThe trend\u00a0is not limited to Saudi Arabia. About three times as many from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sought asylum in 2016 as in 2012. Tiny Qatar saw its count more than double in the same period. Saudi Arabia has seen the steepest increase, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The most likely catalyst for the phenomenon may well be the so-called \u201cArab Spring,\u201d the\u00a0series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across the Middle East in late 2010 and continued until fading away in mid-2012, and its discouraging aftermath.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThough most Gulf states weathered the Arab spring without serious unrest,\u201d The Economist<\/em> says, \u201cthe revolutions elsewhere unnerved them. The UAE\u00a0stepped up domestic surveillance and rounded up activists. Qatar passed a \u2018cyber-crime\u2019 law that is broad and easily abused. Political activity was never encouraged in the Gulf, but after 2011 it was ruthlessly punished.\u201d<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Muhammad bin Salman is, to put it mildly, a huge disappointment. \u00a0When he came to power, a millennial with reformist attitudes toward Saudi economics and culture, many people had great hopes. \u00a0Overturning prior bans, he allowed movie theaters to open, permitted public concerts, and granted women the right to drive. \u00a0Many expatriate Saudis began to come home, or to think about it. \u00a0But the crown prince\u2019s autocratic ways, the vicious assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, the arrest of hundreds of activists in the Kingdom \u2014 these things have soured his image in the West and among many of his own people.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s another opportunity largely squandered, much like the Arab Spring itself.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
What happens to a dream deferred?<\/span>
\nDoes it dry up<\/span>
\nLike a raisin in the sun?<\/span>
\nOr fester like a sore\u2013<\/span>
\nAnd then run?<\/span>
\nDoes it stink like rotten meat?<\/span>
\nOr crust and sugar over\u2013<\/span>
\nlike a syrupy sweet?<\/span>
\nMaybe it just sags<\/span>
\nlike a heavy load.<\/span>
\nOr does it explode?<\/span><\/p>\n(Langston Hughes)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 Notes from \u201cVoting with their feet:\u00a0Thousands of Gulf Arabs are abandoning their homeland:\u00a0Fed up with social restrictions and political repression, Saudis are leading the way,\u201d an article that appeared in the print edition of The Economist for 19 January 2019: \u00a0 According to the refugee agency of the United Nations \u2014 formally, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
"What happens to a dream deferred?"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\" Notes from "Voting with their feet:\u00a0Thousands of Gulf Arabs are abandoning their homeland:\u00a0Fed up with social restrictions and political\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""What happens to a dream deferred?"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\" Notes from "Voting with their feet:\u00a0Thousands of Gulf Arabs are abandoning their homeland:\u00a0Fed up with social restrictions and political\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-30T18:32:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/01\/Al_Faysaliyah_Tower_Riyadh_Saudi_Arabia_1391240121.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html\",\"name\":\"\\\"What happens to a dream deferred?\\\"\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-30T18:32:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-01-30T18:32:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\" Notes from \\\"Voting with their feet:\u00a0Thousands of Gulf Arabs are abandoning their homeland:\u00a0Fed up with social restrictions and political\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"“What happens to a dream deferred?”\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/\",\"name\":\"Sic et Non\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\",\"name\":\"Dan Peterson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dan Peterson\"},\"description\":\"\\\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\\\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"What happens to a dream deferred?\"","description":" Notes from \"Voting with their feet:\u00a0Thousands of Gulf Arabs are abandoning their homeland:\u00a0Fed up with social restrictions and political","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"What happens to a dream deferred?\"","og_description":" Notes from \"Voting with their feet:\u00a0Thousands of Gulf Arabs are abandoning their homeland:\u00a0Fed up with social restrictions and political","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html","og_site_name":"Sic et Non","article_published_time":"2019-01-30T18:32:35+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/01\/Al_Faysaliyah_Tower_Riyadh_Saudi_Arabia_1391240121.jpg"}],"author":"Dan Peterson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dan Peterson","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html","name":"\"What happens to a dream deferred?\"","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-01-30T18:32:35+00:00","dateModified":"2019-01-30T18:32:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045"},"description":" Notes from \"Voting with their feet:\u00a0Thousands of Gulf Arabs are abandoning their homeland:\u00a0Fed up with social restrictions and political","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/what-happens-to-a-dream-deferred.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"“What happens to a dream deferred?”"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/","name":"Sic et Non","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045","name":"Dan Peterson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dan Peterson"},"description":"\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69811\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"One](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/01\/Al_Faysaliyah_Tower_Riyadh_Saudi_Arabia_1391240121.jpg\")
<\/a>