e the political system is critical in defining democracy, another important concept that may be even more critical in view of the Middle East situation is political culture. Political culture is defined by Sidney Verba ôas the system of empirical beliefs, expressive symbols, and values which defines the situation in which political action takes placeö (Huntington, 1984, 207).
The lack of education is a particular stumbling block on the road to democracy and development in the Middle East. A large portion of the population remains illiterate in Arab states. Such a condition stifles personal growth and deve
...