The problem for me, like many in the Arab World, is not fear of the consequences of challenging monarchy and calling for its abolition. The biggest disappointment for at least the last three generations of Arabs is not the continuity of monarchy, but the fact that republics based on revolutionary ideas have turned into undeclared repressive hereditary monarchies. Thus most opposition in Arab kingdoms focuses more on expanding parliamentary powers and political participation than annulling monarchy.

Personally, I do not relate to monarchies – declared or undeclared. It is insulting to me as a human being that one person or one family should be so revered, and most significantly that they should be above accountability or even criticism.

The weakening of democratic institutions in the West – in my view at least – especially in America where the executive branch has undercut the rule of law, has had a global impact as well. The democratic republic paradigm is no longer clearly defined and is no longer equated with liberty and social equity.

I also admit that I am stunned by America's fascination with British and international royalty. There is simply something totally wrong with people living in a republic revering monarchs – especially deferring to star royals as models for charity and justice. It is a travesty that underscores not only obsession with celebrities but also a reflection of the increasing disenfranchisement of citizenship around the world.

I think more and more people feel less empowered and less able to affect events around them. Hollywood celebrities seem to have more power over their lives and ability to affect change – without sacrifice – than collective movements do. Or so it seems to people around the world who have lost faith in their own power to effect change.

The phenomenon of star royals is very tempting. You can have it all – power, intellect, beauty and wealth and yet be anointed "a hero of humanity." The irony is that it works. Royals are lavished with awards for their "accomplishments" in eradicating poverty, helping refugees and even bringing social justice. The same institutions that give these generous accolades to royalty stars seem blind to how these crowned individuals accumulate money, the fortunes they spend on cultivating their own images, and the intellectuals they hire to write their speeches: all at the expense of their people.

If some intellectuals in America dismiss royalty as an outdated tradition, it is time for them to start scrutinizing the institutions of the "Democratic West" for confusing celebrity with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela.