Obstacles to Democratization in the Middle East - Coursework Example

Obstacles to Democratization in the Middle East al Affiliation Obstacles to Democratization in the Middle East The Middle East has now witnessed two Arab Springs. The first Arab Spring, which is almost forgotten by now, occurred in 2005. However, the latest spring that occurred in 2011 was arguably larger than the spring of 2005. The spring began in earnest in Tunisia as a protest against an autocratic and dictatorial regime1. The successful ousting of the president motivated other Arab countries to do the same against their autocratic regimes. As a result, the protest soon spread to Jordan, Yemen and Egypt, before spreading to other Middle East countries, including Syria and Morocco. The protests were organized in major towns and cities in the affected countries. In Egypt, for example, major protests would be organized in the Tahir Square where thousands of protesters would gather chanting anti-government slogans. The protest in Egypt resulted in the ousting of the then President Hosni Mubarak. One of the main reasons why the Arab Spring of 2011 was organized was to remove the old autocratic and dictators and replace them with a democratic government2. Most of the placards carried by the protestors contained messages calling for a democratic government which respects the rights of human beings and the rule of law. Indeed, evidence shows that the majority of the Middle East countries are ruled by autocratic leaders and dictators who disregard the rule of law. Therefore, when the opportunity came in 2011, the people who have been oppressed for decades took the opportunity by organizing protests to oust the old regimes from power. Hosni Mubarak, for instance, had ruled Egypt for more than four decades at the time of his ousting3. Surprisingly, he was still ready to continue ruling Egypt despite his advanced age. The same was replicated in most Arab states where presidents like clinging to power and using it for personal gain. As such, the best way to remove them and replace them with a democratic regime was through the Arab Spring. While some of the Arab Springs were successful in ousting old dictators, evidence shows that the Arab Springs have not been successful in bringing democracy in the Middle East. Everything appears to have remained the same despite the change of the old regimes, which were believed to be a hindrance to democracy. Tunisia, for example, was the first country to succeed in ousting its autocratic president. However, the on goings in Tunisia show that even the regime that replaced the old regime still disregards the rule of law and is ruling through dictatorship. The same applies to Egypt where the successful ousting of Mubarak has not helped establish democracy4. In fact, the situation in Egypt appears to have worsened as the Muslim Brotherhood that replaced the Mubarak administration is also accused of dictatorship and favoritism, resulting in a military coup. The fact that the two Arab Springs have failed to establish democratic regimes in the Arab world has prompted many researchers to investigate the obstacles to democracy in the Middle East. This document seeks to explore the possible obstacles to democracy in the Middle East. Lack of democracy in the Middle East is not something that is perpetuated by the current regimes. Rather, history shows that Middle Eastern countries have always lagged behind in establishing democratic governments. In fact, some scholars have argued that there is nothing like a true democracy in the Arab world. This implies that, even those which are thought to be democratic, are not absolutely democratic as some people might think. Historians show that Arab leaders have historically been resistant to democracy5. This is replicated in the current Arab world where true democracy is far from being achieved if the failure of the 2011 spring to establish democracy is anything to go by. For instance, evidence shows that the Middle Eastern countries were so reluctant to embrace democracy during the 1980s Huntington Third Wave of democracy6. In fact, even the few Arab countries that tried to embrace did not achieve much. However, the truth is that there are certain things in the Middle Eastern countries that act as the greatest impediments to democracy in these countries. From a closer analysis of the democratic situation in the Middle Eastern countries, it becomes clear that traditions and cultural legacies of the Arab world could be acting an impediment to the establishment of a true democratic regime in the region. Research conducted in the Arab world shows that the majority of these people have a strong belief in their traditional loyalties, particularly small tribal groups, which are highly prevalent in the region7. As such the old regimes find it difficult to embrace large groups or multiparty politics, which is believed to be key to the establishment of a democratic state. For instance, in a truly democratic state, people must be allowed to voice their opinions, without unnecessary restrictions. However, this can only be possible if a regime embraces the formation of groups and political parties to keep the government on check something, which have not been embraced in most parts of the Arab world. Instead, most parts of the Arab world have people divided amongst tribal lines, which make it extremely harder to establish a civil society or political parties. Additionally, some scholars have argued that Middle East ought to be considered a temporary construct with boundaries created without necessarily taking into consideration the differences of the citizens in the country. This has promoted the emergence of different factions within most Arab countries who are not able to identify with the state, thereby impeding the establishment of a democratic state. Hinnesbuch call this "cultural exceptionalism" as derived from the modernization theory. Hinnesbuch argues that there can never be democracy where "cultural exceptionalism" is the norm8. Using modernization theory, the author states that the current lack of democracy witnessed in the Middle East will be short-lived as more and more people become educated and the middle class widens. The changes increasingly happening in the Arab world will make it difficult for autocratic regimes to govern, thereby resulting in the democratization of the region. Nevertheless, the author believes that this will take time, due to the cultures and traditions of the region that is making it difficult to establish a true democratic state in the Middle East. The other factor that acts as an impediment to the establishment of a democratic regime in the Middle East is the presence of large oil reserves. Most Middle East countries are blessed with large oil reserves9. The presence of these oil reserves is no doubt to blame for the lack of democracy in the Middle East. Evidence have shown that most oil-producing countries in the Middle East have often used the billions of funds they obtain from the export of oil to undertake large expenditure programmes without necessarily taxing citizens. These countries use the strategy of not taxing citizens when undertaking large projects to minimize social pressure on citizens that would otherwise result in protests and clamor for the removal of authoritarian governments10. As a matter of fact, when citizens of a country receive services without necessarily being taxed for the services, they become less inclined to demand accountability from the state. This is exactly the situation in most Arab countries where lack of taxation has minimized the demand for accountability from leaders. Research shows that the discovery of oil in Qatar and Kuwait made the governments of the two states less accountable to their citizens than they were before the discovery of product. Therefore, it is certain that the availability of large oil reserves is to blame for the lack of democracy in the Middle East. High illiteracy level in the Middle East is also to blame for the lack of democracy in the Middle East. Education and democracy go hand in hand. In this regard, a country that has a high number of literate electorate is highly likely to embrace democracy than a state with a large number of illiterate electorate. Educated electorate is highly knowledgeable about issues affecting the state and what needs to be done to improve the situation11. Additionally, since educated electorates are more informed, they can demand accountability or even challenge undemocratic regime by participating in party politics. However, this is not true of illiterate electorates who are less knowledgeable about the interior affairs of the state. As such, they are less likely to neither know what is happening nor demand accountability from the government even if they are aware that something is not right. Furthermore, only progressive governments that normally promotes literacy and education, something which is lacking in most Arab countries, thereby contributing to the lack of democracy. Although Middle East countries have made significant progress in improving the literacy rates, illiteracy remains a big issue of concern in most Middle East countries. Illiteracy rates are high, particularly in rural areas, where access to education remains a big problem12. Girl child education has also not been given priority in the urban world. Girls are married off at a very tender age, thereby denying them the opportunity to get better education to make an impact in society. For instance, in the 1970s, the literacy level of women in the Middle East was half that of men. However, the number has since doubled. Moreover, education attainment remains unequal in the region. The Taliban, for instance, demonstrated their lack of commitment to the education of the girl child when they shot 14-year old Malala Yousafzai who recently won the Nobel Prize for promoting girl child education in the Arab world. Apart from shooting the Nobel Prize winner, the Taliban also went as far as destroying and shutting down all schools in Malalas hometown in Pakistan. In her acceptance speech for Nobel Prize, Malala stated that the Middle East countries will not make any progress toward achieving democracy and growth if citizens are not enlightened through education. In fact, Malala pointed out that illiteracy remains the biggest impediment for the growth of undemocratic states in the Middle East, something that she is determined to reduce by promoting girl child education. Therefore, using Malalas shooting, as an example; it becomes apparent that high illiteracy level is to blame for persistent lack of democracy in the Middle East countries. The regimes are doing everything to hinder citizens from accessing education to enable them continue their authoritative rule13. In comparison, evidence shows that most democracies in the present day society have achieved high literacy level of literacy among citizens. This is proof enough to show that high illiteracy level is to blame for the lack of democracy in the Arab world. Islam is also a major impediment to the development of democracy in the Middle East. Although some critics have objected this view, citing the establishment of a democratic state in Turkey, which is an Islamic state, evidence shows that Islam has certain doctrines that make the establishment of a democratic state difficult in the Middle East. The first Islamic doctrine that appears to conflict the development of democracy is that most Islamic states are governed under the Sharis14. This makes it extremely difficult for the Islamic states to develop politically and embrace democracy. Secondly, the Quran also advocates respect for authority15. Certainly, this doctrine contributes largely to the lack of democracy in the Middle East because it makes people fear questioning authority even if they are going astray. All Muslim believers are expected to obey all the teachings of the Quran without question. Therefore, the autocratic leaders in the Middle East have often taken advantage of the teachings of the Quran to do as they wish because they know that no one would be willing to question their leadership styles, thereby contributing to lack of democracy. Islam is also to blame for the lack of democracy in the Middle East because the Quran, which is a Holy book in Islam promote male dominance in the society. In fact, some parts of the Quran say that women should be beaten whenever they disrespect their husbands. This has resulted in a situation where women in the Islamic states play second fiddle to their male counterparts. For instance, women in Saudi Arabia are denied certain human rights that are allowed in democratic states, such as the right to drive16. Such teaching of the Quran has certainly contributed significantly to the lack democracy in the Middle East. For instance, since the Quran advocates for women to obey their husbands, this has made it extremely difficult for women in the Middle East to participate actively in advocating equality and democracy. Men in the Middle East have also taken advantage of the teachings of the Quran to oppress the female folk, thereby curtailing the development of democracy17. Therefore, as much as some people cite the existence of democracy in Turkey, which is an Islamic state, the truth of the matter is that the Islamic doctrines are curtailing the development of democracy in the Middle East. Moreover, Turkey has not turned to a fully democratic state since there are instances of human rights abuses still reported in the country. Another factor that has curtailed the establishment of democratic states in the Middle East is the fear for political instability that is likely to result from the creation of the democratic reforms. The Western world has managed to create a democratic society because of lack of fear of political competition and elections18. In order to allow for democracy to form, politicians and leaders must be willing to embrace competition by going for free and fair elections. Unfortunately, such thinking is not shared by most Middle East leaders, the majority of who want to cling to power until death for fear of political instability in case democratic reforms are introduced. Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Muhammad Gaddafi of Libya served for a couple of decades and still they were not willing to give up power to others for fear of political instability19. The same is reflected in most Middle East countries where presidents and prime ministers cling to power until they are too old to govern. Even if a leader is to give up power because they are too old to govern, they ensure that the power is transferred to their close allies, particularly family members to ensure the continuity of their ideologies. Therefore, there is no doubt that fear for political instability is to blame for the persistent lack of democracy in the Arab world as some leaders see elections as a revolution against the regime. Syrian President al-Assad, for instance, has refused to allow for a democratic election citing that allowing elections will be like a political revolution. High poverty levels characterized by high population growth are also responsible for the persistent lack of democracy in the Middle East. The Middle East has experienced rapid population growth in the past few years. Despite rapid growth of the population, most states have not been able to create employments for the growing population. Youth unemployment, in particular, is a characteristic of most Middle East countries. The population of MENA, for instance, is expected to reach 576 million by 202520. Such faster growth of population is creating economic vitality. Additionally, most Arab countries experience low economic growth characterized by disparities in the distribution of wealth, which impacts negatively on the establishment of democracy in these countries. However, evidence shows that a democracy thrive in states characterized by economic stability and equal distribution of wealth21. Therefore, there is no doubt that population growth characterized by poverty and unequal distribution of wealth in the Middle East is largely responsible for the difficulty in creating democracy in Middle East countries. Additionally, the persistent conflict between Israel and Palestine is also contributing to the difficulty in the creation of democracy in the Middle East. This is because the conflict is creating political instability in the region, which impedes the creation of democracy22. In conclusion, although the Middle East has not achieved true democracy, a lot of achievements have been made toward the realization of democracy. The Arab Spring of 2011 was a remarkable event towards establishing democratic states in the Middle East. Although the spring failed to establish democracies in the Middle East as observed in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and many of the Middle East countries, this was a remarkable step. However, failure to establish democracies in the Middle East is influenced by many of factors. These include cultural legacies, availability of large oil reserves, Islam, fear of political instability, high illiteracy levels, high population growth and poverty, as well as the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Overcoming these barriers will certainly help in the establishment of a true democracy in the Middle East in the future. Bibliography Brown, Nathan J. and Emad Shahin. The Struggle over Democracy in the Middle East: Regional Politics and External Policies. London: Routledge, 2013. Brumberg, Daniel. “Liberalization versus Democracy: Understanding Arab Political Reform,” Carnegie Endowment, 2003. Filiu, Jean-Pierre. The Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons from the Democratic. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 2011. Lynch, Marc. The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East. Hoboken: Public Affairs, 2013. Sayari, Sabri. Democratization in the Middle East: Trends and Prospects: Summary of a Workshop. New York, NY: National Academies, 1993. Read More