Satire thrives in the "middle-ground"

Today I read a very interesting article in The Economist about satirical cartoons. The article discussed a new "Golden Age" of satire in Arabic countries (more people dare to draw satirical cartoons in these countries after the Arab spring). Perhaps, this is proof of something I have also read recently, namely that satire thrives in countries found in the so-called "middle ground" between democracy (freedom of speech) and political repression. Some people claim that this is why satire has grown so much in the USA over the past few years; that a malfunctioning democratic system (two words: fiscal cliff), as well as class differences that prevent people from making their voices heard in the political arena, fuel a satirical climate. In history, an example of a satirist that wrote in this dangerous "middle ground" climate is Voltaire, who was sometimes punished (and even sent into exile) for his texts and sometimes recognized by the King of France, Louis XIV, himself. 

This is a satirical cartoon by one of the few female cartoonists I have come across while looking at Arabic satire: Doaa Eladl. The cartoon satirizes how some Arabic politicians are like "puppets" controlled by the militrary. I think that this cartoon shows satire working in the "middle-ground climate" previously discussed in a very clear way. It shows satire's struggle against the seemingly democratic and liberal to reveal hidden political repression.