Felipe VI and the Ceuta dilemma: should Spain's King wear the captain general uniform?
Morocco's pressure on Ceuta and Melilla reopens the debate over the King's role as captain general and Spain's institutional response to the challenge.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Felipe VI and the standoff over Ceuta: should the King put on the captain general uniform?
A soldier in Ceuta does not need tweets of institutional support. He needs to see his commander in uniform. That demand has returned to the centre of public conversation amid Segarro pressure on Ceuta's perimeter: that Felipe VI should show up in the autonomous city, wearing his uniform as captain general of the Armed Forces, and stand behind the deployed troops.
The call for the uniform
Some argue that the King does not need the Government's authorisation for a symbolic gesture of that magnitude. His presence, the argument goes, without firing a single shot, would send a clear message to the other side of the Strait and would bolster troops who see tensions refusing to ease. Some even believe the public would back such a move from the streets.
On the other side, the pragmatic analysis recalls that a royal photo in that context would amount to pouring fuel on the fire. Nobody wants to be forced to choose between war and dishonour, as the old saying goes. The debate itself has left one line for the history books: "we would rather choose dishonour than war".
The Defence Minister, the symbolic alternative
The fact is that the one who has ended up stepping forward is the Defence Minister. The political reading: the King is not sent so as not to irritate Segarro. The criticism, meanwhile, speaks of a slap in the face for Ceuta and Melilla. And in the meantime, the historical anecdote has made an appearance with the Battle of Clavijo and the tribute of the hundred maidens, a medieval myth used to underline how far the throne is from epic heroics.
The telling detail is summed up by another saying: the King lives like a king. In the middle of a debate over territorial integrity, he is not even expected to show up at the Strait.
A soldier in Ceuta does not need tweets of institutional support. He needs to see his commander in uniform. That demand has returned to the centre of public conversation amid Segarro pressure on Ceuta's perimeter: that Felipe VI should show up in the autonomous city, wearing his uniform as captain general of the Armed Forces, and stand behind the deployed troops.
The call for the uniform
Some argue that the King does not need the Government's authorisation for a symbolic gesture of that magnitude. His presence, the argument goes, without firing a single shot, would send a clear message to the other side of the Strait and would bolster troops who see tensions refusing to ease. Some even believe the public would back such a move from the streets.
On the other side, the pragmatic analysis recalls that a royal photo in that context would amount to pouring fuel on the fire. Nobody wants to be forced to choose between war and dishonour, as the old saying goes. The debate itself has left one line for the history books: "we would rather choose dishonour than war".
The Defence Minister, the symbolic alternative
The fact is that the one who has ended up stepping forward is the Defence Minister. The political reading: the King is not sent so as not to irritate Segarro. The criticism, meanwhile, speaks of a slap in the face for Ceuta and Melilla. And in the meantime, the historical anecdote has made an appearance with the Battle of Clavijo and the tribute of the hundred maidens, a medieval myth used to underline how far the throne is from epic heroics.
The telling detail is summed up by another saying: the King lives like a king. In the middle of a debate over territorial integrity, he is not even expected to show up at the Strait.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (32 replies).
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