Throughout my adult life, I have upheld human values, the philosophy of democracy, the rule of institutions, the importance of their separation of powers, citizens\u2019 rights, and freedom of expression as the pillars of the ideal state. I took the United States as a model.
Therefore, I felt personally betrayed when the U.S. abandoned all that it used to preach \u2014 values I had believed in for years \u2014 revealing its double standards and an ugly extremism against those who are different or immigrants, and enacting laws that protect the \u201csons of Sam\u201d above all others.<\/p>\n
I used to tell my friends that, despite the betrayals of successive governments \u2014 Democrat or Republican \u2014 I still had hope that the American people would one day correct the betrayal of their leaders to the principles we believed in.<\/p>\n
A glimmer of hope returned to me when, in recent months, the United States witnessed massive demonstrations under the slogan \u201cNo Kings,\u201d<\/strong> in which millions of young people across various states participated (statistics say more than seven million across over ten states). This new American generation took to the streets to declare clearly: democracy is not an electoral ritual, nor a stage on which politicians merely swap roles. It is a living spirit \u2014 renewed, self-critical, and rebellious when it senses danger.<\/p>\n Perhaps the banner raised by one student in New York best expressed the movement\u2019s core:<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t hate the president; we hate the idea of a king.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The \u201cNo Kings\u201d movement transcends a mere political stance to become a new social philosophy in American thought. It represents a rebellion against the notion of the \u201csavior leader\u201d \u2014 the dominant, all-controlling figure \u2014 that has long inhabited the collective consciousness, where hope is pinned on one person instead of a system of awareness and institutions capable of self-correction.<\/p>\n American youth now reject the deification of power and the transformation of politics into a symbolic form of worship. They defend the true meaning of the state \u2014 as a living social contract, not a golden cage that imprisons the citizen in the name of patriotism.<\/p>\n Their slogan, \u201cNo Kings,\u201d is a reminder of the very origins of the American Revolution, which was born in revolt against absolute monarchy and declared the dawn of individual freedom. At the heart of this movement stands a generation that feels its future is being slowly stolen. They see political leaders weakening institutions to expand personal power, and even educational institutions \u2014 once the backbone of American civilization and excellence \u2014 have not been spared.<\/p>\n But this anger is not destructive; it is what philosophers call creative anger<\/em> \u2014 a force that seeks to correct, not demolish. What is happening in the United States is not merely an American affair; it mirrors a global crisis of leadership. The answer offered by American youth \u2014 expressed in their own language \u2014 is that sovereignty belongs to consciousness, not to individuals.<\/strong><\/p>\n Just as systems fall ill when they lack criticism, nations too grow sick when they surrender their minds to those who claim to speak on their behalf \u2014 whether kings, leaders, or saviors.<\/p>\n Historians will one day record that No Kings<\/em> was not merely a protest but a moment of renewed awareness. Do we truly seek freedom, or merely another father figure to whom we hand its keys?<\/em><\/p>\n The No Kings<\/em> movement reminds us in the Arab world that democracy is not an institutional import from the West, but a state of consciousness \u2014 an ethical responsibility that a society exercises toward itself.<\/p>\n When young Americans reject the idea of a \u201cking,\u201d they are not rebelling against a person or a title, but against a deeply rooted human tendency \u2014 the desire for submission and the fear of freedom \u2014 which rulers everywhere exploit.<\/p>\n What is happening today in the streets of Washington, New York, Boston, Chicago, and California is but a new chapter in humanity\u2019s eternal story \u2014 the pursuit of dignity.<\/p>\n Most strikingly, those who raise the banner \u201cNo Kings\u201d are not speaking only of presidents; they mean anyone who believes themselves above accountability \u2014 in politics, finance, religion, or the media.<\/p>\n It is a revolution against sanctification, submission, and against anything that extinguishes the flame of questioning within the human soul.<\/p>\n And if this American generation has chosen to say \u201cNo Kings,\u201d<\/strong> perhaps it is time for all societies \u2014 East and West alike \u2014 to reconsider the kinds of kings they create within their collective consciousness, and how they allow them to rule.<\/p>\n \u201cFreedom is not a gift from a ruler\u2019s generosity, but a trust guarded by an awakened nation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Who governs whom?<\/strong> Throughout my adult life, I have upheld human values, the philosophy of democracy, the rule of institutions, the importance of their separation of powers, citizens\u2019 rights, and freedom of expression as the pillars of the ideal state. I took the United States as a model.Therefore, I felt personally betrayed when the U.S. abandoned all that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12724,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[208,103,16,197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2025-collective-articles","category-all-articles","category-articles-by-dr-badrawi","category-translated-articles"],"yoast_head":"\n
Although the event seemed political on the surface \u2014 directed against President Donald Trump \u2014 its essence went far deeper than rejecting a person or a party.<\/p>\n\n
But the irony, as the new generation sees it, is that their country \u2014 once the enemy of kings \u2014 has begun creating new kinds of monarchs: kings of media, money, technology, and populist politics.<\/p>\n
A generation raised amid climate crises, crushing debts, and a divided society, witnessing how democracy sometimes turns into a theater of double standards \u2014 a space for anger and revenge rather than wisdom and balance.<\/p>\n
It is a collective exercise in awareness, and a declaration that freedom is not inherited but practiced \u2014 and defended \u2014 every single day.<\/p>\n
Humanity now faces a pressing question: Who governs whom?<\/em>
Is the ruler meant to lead the people\u2019s consciousness, or must the people themselves guard their awareness against the corruption of power?<\/p>\n
\nThe Movement\u2019s Global Impact<\/h3>\n
It stirred the stagnant waters of American democracy, redefined the relationship between citizen and power, and sparked an intellectual wave that reached Europe, Latin America, and even the Middle East \u2014 all asking the same question:<\/p>\n
\nToward a New Global Awareness<\/h3>\n
\n
That is the question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"