Democracy In The Arab World

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Democracy in the Arab World April 12, 2011 During the last decade, the world has noticed the birth of many democracies in all continents except in the Middle East and North Africa. One would wonder why there is such a glaring anomaly in the phenomenon of democratic globalization in those parts of the world. We may first think about the main common denominator between those countries which is the fact that they are mostly inhabited by Arab Muslims. Those people share common values and most importantly a homogenous cultural and religious base. Is it possible then that this culture is the reason for the lack of democracy in those countries? We may also think about the fact that some of those countries are either economically under developed or flooded with petro dollars. Another question that comes here is if those latter reasons can explain the lack of democracy in those countries. After some reading, one can easily see that the deficit of democracy in this part of the world can be primarily explained by the defaulting political and economic choices made by those countries and not by culture or religion. In order to join the ranks of democratic countries, Arab countries have no other choice than to work on the economic models. Today in all Arab Muslim countries, there is no shortage of experts in democracy. Indeed, you find those who focus on the fundamental meaning of democracy and notions which are related as freedom, participation and equal rights. You'll also find those that focus on the necessary institutional changes needed to create a real democracy. Those changes include independent justice, a new constitution and a functional parliament. Finally, there are those who call for change by civil society as an expression of a civic democracy. These discussions, healthy and necessary, help us understand the issues related to the establishment

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