The rise and fall of arab presidents for life book description monarchical presidential regimes in the arab world looked as though they would last indefinitely until events in tunisia and egypt made clear their time was up this is the first book to lay bare the dynamics of a governmental system that largely defined the arab middle east in . In 201 pages of text focused primarily on their rise and writing as they were indeed falling owen cannot provide much guidance what little he does is optimistic speculating that the departure of presidents for life may herald the arab worlds return to history. The rise and fall of arab presidents for life exposes for the first time the origins and dynamics of a governmental system that largely defined the arab middle east in the twentieth century presidents who rule for life have been a feature of the arab world since independence in the 1980s their regimes increasingly resembled monarchies as . The rise and fall of arab presidents for life exposes for the first time the origins and dynamics of a governmental system that largely defined the arab middle east in the twentieth century presidents who rule for life have been a feature of the arab world since independence