The first spark came from Tunisia. However, Egypt's youth started a fire that has set the whole Arab world ablaze. But Egypt has always embodied both the solution and the problem. Thus, the way President Hosni Mubarak was dealt with following his downfall, how he was transferred from Sharm el-Sheikh to the hospital, and the detention of his sons and the threats against his wife, have all prompted every other Arab leader to follow the adage of “kill or be killed'. I remember an old poem, but no longer recall its explanation. [It loosely translates as:] If without doubt you will soon be preyed upon, then become the best of hunters, and save [yourself] lest you are torn athunder - I do not know if this explains the topic at hand and so I shall return to the Arab uprisings and the way out and say: Eureka! The solution is Estoril. I can almost hear the reader ask me, what or where on earth is Estoril, and how can it possibly be the solution to Arab problems? Estoril is in fact a seaside resort town in Portugal, which became a world-class tourist attraction when it became a haven for a number of exiled European royal families during and after the World War. Estoril thus hosted Italy's King Umerto II, King Carol II of Romania, and the Count of Barcelona, the heir to the Spanish throne. Its silver shore was a favorite location for the strolls taken by kings, queens, archdukes and other European nobility, of course along with spies and fame seekers. In truth, the town is not only a nice beach. There is also a casino, public parks, and clinics (which our presidents need), and some of the most famous hotels in Europe, including the Palacio Hotel which was built in 1930, and which was the inspiration for writer Ian Fleming to write the book behind the James Bond film “On Her Majesty's Secret Service”. All these temptations made Estoril the favorite destination for exiled kings, perhaps most prominently King Umberto II, who spent 37 years in exile before he died in Geneva. He lived in Estoril for some time, but he preferred Cascais, the nearby town which saw many royal wedding ceremonies. Meanwhile, King Carol II of Romania had a refined taste that he did not lose after he was exiled. He chose to live in Estoril and died there in 1953 (His remains were moved to Romania in 2003). As for the heir to the Spanish throne, Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, he lived between Cannes and Rome. Then at the outbreak of the Second World War, he moved to Lausanne in neutral Switzerland, and later to Estoril where he lived, and where he was followed by the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary between 1920 and 1944. There is also King Edward VIII, who abdicated the British throne in 1936 to marry the divorced woman Wallis Simpson, and who later went by the title of Duke of Windsor. He and his wife had visited Germany during the war and met with Hitler. Edward preferred Paris, but after the German occupation of France, he moved to Portugal. While I did not read that he visited Estoril, the monarchs who lived there indeed visited him regularly in Lisbon. Estoril gained the title of “the Kings' Beach” and still boasts it even though the monarchs of Europe have been all but deposed and exiled, and have nearly all passed away. As regards the current situation in the Arab world, I think that the Arab kings are here to stay, and that the presidents will depart, so perhaps Estoril with them would soon gain the title of “the Kings' and Presidents' Beach”. Of course, the word President is not as important as the word King, and I fear that the exiled Arab presidents will suffer from some form of discrimination along the lines of what the African-Americans suffered, when one of them would move to a White neighborhood and the real estate value there would subsequently fall, before White residents start to leave it. As such, perhaps Muammar Gaddafi's relocation to Portugal will prompt the first ever protest by kings, princes and presidents in written history, as I believe it most likely that none of them want Gaddafi as their neighbor. This includes Arab presidents, who perhaps will even lead the protest against him, since they know him more than the kings of Europe do. If the Arab presidents, whose peoples are calling for their departure, find out that Estoril is available to them, and not just Jeddah, then I think they might probably resist exile much less, and many lives shall be saved. I can imagine these presidents on the beach in Estoril, with some cocktails and smoked salmon, and vendors selling roasted corn cobs and falafel on the beach. I can see hookahs in cafes, along with arms dealers, and con artists trying to convince this or that president of funding a plan to reinstate them in power because the people now feel remorse. I speak only for myself, and I say that I prefer Estoril in exile over being a king in Khartoum, Sanaa, or Tripoli…And while Estoril is no utopia, I personally prefer it anyway. [email protected]
