Arab Democracy
Explanatory Variables
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What explains the lack of democracy and underdevelopment in Arab states? There are many explanations for the lack of democracy and underdevelopment in Arab states. However, the main reason for this failure is the mind-set of rulers of Arab states who resist any efforts viewed as a threat to their power. When commenting on the lack of development in the Middle East, political analyst Anthony Cordesman (2001) argues, ôA great deal of the explanation lies in the fact that many Middle Eastern states have no enemy greater than their own governmentsö (3). It is important to understand the reasons for the lack of democracy and underdevelopment in the Middle East because of four primary reasons: 1) The future of democracy is closely related to the future freedom of the world; 2) The future of democracy worldwide is extremely important to U.S. interest; 3) The greater integration of nations causes greater conflict between democratic nations and authoritarian or totalitarian nations; and 4) The rise or fall of democracy is intimately linked to social values like economic growth, socioeconomic parity, political stability, social justice and national independence (Huntingdon, 1984, 193-94).Does increased democracy lead to increased development or does increased development lead to increased democracy? Increased development leads to increased democracy. This is because some of the variables that are critical for the formation of dem
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that stifles development in the Middle East. Such development is critical for the formation of democratic institutions, because it is only through such development that disparate groups in society will begin to exhibit some parity with respect to policy influence. According to Abootalebi (1998), the ôemergence of civil society in the Middle East will occur when well-institutionalized, well-organized groups are in a position to exert effective pressure on ruling elites to open the political system. Both strong states and weak societies are barriers to democratization in developing countriesö (8).
Restrictions on free speech and the media and other controls on free expression continue to stifle development and democracy in the Middle East. One of the biggest reasons for this is that without freedom of expression individuals are restrained from challenging the ruling elites. The inability to form organizations, political activist groups, or other mechanisms that act as a check-and-balance system on government authority keeps the power in the hands of the status-quo in Middle East nations. In Arab Democracy: The Hope, Hassounai (2001) provides a definition of democracy that demands a government is held accountable by the citizen
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Approximate Word count = 2266
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)
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