Abstract
The Middle East’s democracy deficit is a product of the patterns of political and
economic development in the region. It is not because the region is predominantly
Islamic or is somehow afflicted by purportedly undemocratic cultures. By itself,
culture is not an impediment to transition to democracy as it is subject to
influences from the larger polity, especially insofar as the economy and the
initiatives of the state are concerned. Instead, transition to democracy is
determined by the degree of society’s autonomy from the state. This autonomy may
result from the empowerment of society as a consequence of economic
development, or the state elite’s devolution of power to social actors and classes,
or, more commonly, a combination of both. The key to understanding democratic
transitions lies instead in the nature of state-society relations rather than the
nature of society’s norms and values in them. Along with other donor countries,
the United States should make assistance to civil society a component of new
efforts to promote democratic change in the Middle East. But it should do so with
a clear understanding of the nature of civil society in Arab countries, of the most
effective ways to help civil society organizations to contribute to democratic
change, and of the limits of U.S. influence in this zone. To investigate these
assumptions, a qualitative research methodology is used, relying on the analysis of
secondary academic sources. This study will be emphasizes on the current
movements in Middle East and political change.
Anwar Ali, Mughees Ahmad . (2019) Democratic and political dynamics of Middle East: an analysis of internal and external influence, Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, Volume 56, Issue 2.
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