Political Reform in the Middle East

Abstract

A river of ink has already flowed in interesting debates over the prospects for democracy in the Middle East. While experts disagree sharply over the reasons, there is a striking consensus around a skeptical view of democracy’s chances in most of the states of the region. Political culture explanations vie with political economy arguments, even as other specialists debate the ideology and the project of Islamist opposition movements or weigh the relevance of civil society. The impediments to democratic transitions deserve to be seriously considered, and they shall be reviewed in the following pages. Nonetheless, there is an element of spuriousness to the academic tussles. Although the prospects for the emergence of more open, freer political systems in the Middle East may seem bleak, there are also good reasons to presume that authoritarian politics as usual may be close to running its course. Indeed, the region may be standing on the brink of a momentous period of political recrafting.