I think a key thing to remember is that revolution only seeks complete overthrow of the current system in the most extreme cases. Most often revolution simply seeks to place pressure on governments to make evolutions of governance that the government would prefer not to make.
As to "Arab Spring," it is best not to think of "spring" as in the season, but rather spring as in the compressed, coiled populaces long held in situations deemed unacceptable - with the compression effect increasing in recent years as the populaces of the Middle East have evolved in their expectations of governance far more rapidly than the governments of the region have been willing to evolve.
The pressure in Saudi Arabia is much greater than is healthy for a society. They seek to buy that pressure down. They export trouble makers to go to places like Yemen and Pakistan to raise trouble elsewhere; they turn a blind eye to the funding of organizations that either directly or indirectly fund illegal agents of political change, such as AQ. They diligently and ruthlessly identify and arrest any who show signs of attempting to organize movement against the government.
So far this has been enough. But the Saudi family has been far less proactive is seeking to understand and address the root grievances of an evolving populace living in an evolving world. Perhaps more "youthful" members of the family will emerge to lead the government to a more sustainable place, or adopt measures that give the populace a greater voice in how they are governed. Perhaps. Doing so would do wonders to reduce the pressure on the "Arab Spring" of the Saudi populace. Far more so than if they listen to the misguided pleadings of American leaders to adopt values and forms of governance designed by and for American populaces as a recommended cure.
My fear is that they will do as most monarchies do, and cling to their rights to do as they please and not take the growing signs of discontent seriously. This is not about "effectiveness," this is about how people feel and who they blame. Highly effective governments that are equally highly rigid and out of touch with an evolving populace are every bit as susceptible to revolution as are highly ineffective governments. Just ask King George of England.
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