CSS 2009 Solved Current Affairs Past Papers | Muslim World are Devoid of Democratic Governance
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Question breakdown
This question has two parts. The first part requires the factors why most Muslim countries lack democratic governance. The second part requires recommendations for making Muslim countries modern democratic states.
Outline
11-Introduction
2-Democracy and the Muslim World
3-Democratic Reforms for Progressive Middle East
- ✓ Promote Civic Education
- ✓ Safeguard Freedom of Expression
- ✓ Stimulate Political Engagement
- ✓ Strengthen Political Institutions
- ✓ Power Decentralization
- ✓ Economic Reform Implementation
- ✓ Facilitating International Support
4-Critical Analysis
5-Conclusion
Introduction
The Middle East, with its varied political systems, history, and cultures, has several obstacles to democracy. Authoritarian governments or monarchs ruled over the majority of Muslim-dominated nations. For example, until the Ottoman Empire’s disintegration following World War I, which resulted in the creation of contemporary nation-states, it ruled over a sizeable chunk of the earth. These recently established states have centralised authority and limited political pluralism due to leaders inheriting power without going through democratic procedures. The established power structures opposed the numerous democratisation movements that arose in the 20th century. Despite the global trend towards democracy, the Muslim world has experienced a regression in democratic governance due to authoritarianism and repression. For instance, the King of Saudi Arabia has strict control over political expression and no political parties are allowed. There is other political insecurity, such as the Syrian Civil War that began in 2011, Libya’s factional violence since Muammar Qaddafi’s overthrow, religious intolerance in the form of Sunni-Shiite conflict and cultural and political issues in which occasionally the Western idea of democracy may contradict local beliefs and traditions, as is the case with Afghanistan. Democratic advancement is nonetheless again held back by the constant issues of political oppression and weak rule of law.
Democracy and the Muslim World
Democracy is people exercising control over the government’s activities; it involves voting, political liberty, protection of people’s rights and civil liberties, law and elections. The Muslim world, i.e., the Middle East, which has different cultures, political systems, and history, is on a journey full of challenges towards democracy. Most of the world’s Muslim-majority countries were either ruled by kings or autocratic leaders. For example, the Ottoman Empire dominated a large part of the world up to the time it was dismantled after the First World War, which brought about the formation of present-day nation-states. In these newly formed states, leaders inherited power without democratic processes, resulting in centralized authority and limited political pluralism. In the 20th century, various movements emerged for democratization but were met with resistance from existing power structures. For instance, in 1952, the Egyptian Revolution overthrew the monarchy, which resulted in the rise of military rule under Gamal Abdel Nasser and then Hosni Mubarak due to political repression. Despite the global trend toward democratization, the Muslim world has seen a regression in democratic governance due to Authoritarianism and Repression; for example, in Saudi Arabia, the King has strict control over political expression, with no other political parties allowed, political Instability, for instance, Syrian Civil War started in 2011 and Libya struggling with factional violence since the fall of Muammar Qaddafi, religious Extremism and Sectarianism which include particularly the Sunni and Shia conflict, cultural Factors and Political Identity, where the idea of democracy can sometimes clash with local customs and religious interpretations like in Afghanistan. Apart from these factors, Tunisia is a notable exception in the Muslim world, which embarked on a journey toward democracy after the Arab Spring with the adoption of a new constitution in 2014. According to the Freedom House 2023 report, only a handful of Muslim-majority countries are classified as “free.” A Pew Research Center survey in 2018 revealed that a significant percentage of people express a preference for democracy in several Muslim-majority countries. Still, actual democratic practices often fall short of public expectations, resulting in disillusionment. However, democracy in the Muslim world must be a collaborative and collective effort grounded in respect for the voices of its people and human rights.
Democratic Reforms for Progressive Middle East
- ✓ Promote Civic Education:
Education not only gives awareness and knowledge but also helps build a culture of true democracy, which is critical for the long-term sustainability of democratic transitions. In most of the Middle Eastern countries, civic education is either limited or deeply influenced by state agendas. School and college curricula often emphasize national loyalty over critical and rational thinking with limited learning on democratic values, human rights, or political participation. This type of education contributes to a low level of political engagement and a limited understanding of governance and its policies. Recently, in Lebanon, some NGOs have developed programs to educate young people about democracy and civic engagement, which will help citizens understand the importance of participating in domestic politics, such as voting, attending meetings, and joining civic political groups. It also empowers marginalized groups, including women, youth, and ethnic minorities.
The Arab Youth Survey reported in 2023 that young people who received civic education were more likely to express support for freedom of speech and political participation. 63% of youth in Lebanon participated in such programs, which empowered them to engage in political activism, compared to only 40% who did not receive such education. To achieve long-lasting democratic reforms, the Middle East should prioritize the development of education initiatives that are accessible, inclusive, and focused.
- ✓ Safeguard Freedom of Expression:
Freedom of expression enables people to express their ideas, challenge leadership, and be part of the governance system. In most of the Middle East, speech is tightly regulated, freedom of the media is curtailed, and dissent is stifled. With speech freedom, the Middle East can provide ways to enhance interactions and improve political reforms and democracy. While freedom of expression consists of the right to assemble freely, freedom of the press, and impart information, the Middle East stands out as one of the most restrictive regions. KSA, Iran and Egypt have the strictest media and social networking sites. Activists and journalists face severe penalties like imprisonment and death sentences for criticizing the government and other political issues. One of the most highlighted examples is Jamal Khashoggi, who was a Saudi journalist and government critic who was assassinated in 2018 for criticizing the government. He once said about the Arab Spring,
“The Arab world was ripe with hope during the spring of 2011. Journalists and activists were empowered to dream of a bright new Arab world where freedom of expression would take root.”
So, freedom of expression is important for democracy in the Middle East. It encourages political participation, empowers civilians, and holds governments accountable.
- ✓ Stimulate Political Engagement:
Political participation enables citizens to influence government decisions through advocacy, voting and public participation. Strengthening political involvement in Middle Eastern countries is essential to developing democracy, especially in previously monarchic areas or restricted political spaces. Political participation is actually civilian involvement in electoral voting, joining different political parties, and protesting rights. It also allows citizens to influence government decisions that affect their personal lives, ensuring that the government will be responsible for all of the needs of its people. Freedom House reported in 2023 that the Middle Eastern region remains non-democratic, especially Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Egypt, showing extremely low levels of political freedom. However, in contrast, Tunisia successfully held general elections in 2014 after the 2011 Arab Spring, which changed it into a fully democratic state. So, encouraging participation is important for democratic advancement, fostering accountability, empowering weak civilians and improving the international image. As many Middle Eastern countries face significant challenges, which may include authoritarian rule and political repression, like the transition that happened, Tunisia and other civil movements in countries like Lebanon and Iraq show that enhanced political engagement can create pathways toward more democratic governance. Middle Eastern countries should foster more accessible, inclusive and transparent political systems that boost and encourage active public involvement among men, women, minorities, and the youth.
- ✓ Strengthen Political Institutions:
Political institutions provide the basis for a stable democracy by ensuring accountability, transparency, and the rule of law. Some of the key political institutions may include electoral bodies, the judiciary, parliaments, and provincial and local governments. The countries that have stronger political institutions among Middle Eastern nations are Tunisia and Lebanon. They scored higher on the Freedom Index 2023, which indicated greater political freedom and civil liberties in these countries. For example, Tunisia scored 71 out of 100 on the index, whereas Saudi Arabia scored below 10, showing the weakest political institutions. A political analyst, Fareed Zakaria, argued, “Democracy is not just about conducting elections; it is about strengthening institutions.” Political institutions in Middle Eastern countries counter many obstacles, such as corruption, authoritarianism, and lack of political will. Most of them are resistant to reforms because it would weaken their control or limit executive power. Therefore, efforts to empower institutions must be accompanied by anti-corruption measures and practical reforms to increase transparency. Moreover, the role of civil society in advocating for these changes is crucial to ensure that reforms are genuinely democratic and not merely cosmetic.
- ✓ Power Decentralization:
The whole of the Middle East has highly centralized political systems with authority concentrated in the hands of a few elites or ruling families. In contrast, decentralization is the distribution of decision-making authority, governance, and resources from the federal government to local governments and regional administrations or community representatives. It brings governance closer to the people, enhances accountability, empowers the public and mitigates the risks of authoritarianism and corruption. Samuel P. Huntington says, “Without mechanisms for decentralization and the development of institutions, democracy becomes highly vulnerable to authoritarian backsliding.” In the past decade, Tunisia, among all the Middle Eastern countries, has been the most notable example of decentralization; where after the downfall of Bin Ali in 2011, it held its first-ever elections in 2018, which was one of the most successful democratic transitions of all times. This reduced the power of the central government and empowered local governments. Contrary to this, Saudi Arabia has a strong central government with weak local governments that rely on central power for all financial, economic, and political decisions.
Decentralization can help countries reduce or prevent the complete concentration of power. It can also be a tool for conflict prevention by giving more autonomy to regional factions than the centre and establishing domestic peace by reducing central control over resources.
- ✓ Implementation of Economic Reforms:
Economic reforms refer to changes in policies that aim to improve the efficiency and fairness of an economy, for example, welfare programs to curb inequality and poverty, anti-corruption measures to maintain transparency, deregulation to promote business growth and privatization of state-owned enterprises. Some of these implemented reforms have produced mixed results in the Middle East. International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that countries like Egypt and Jordan that have undertaken structural reforms have experienced some economic growth but with social unrest. Contrarily, Morocco has seen relative success with its gradual economic reforms, for instance, the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and investment in renewable energy. They assisted the country in attaining a favourable record in improving the unemployment rate and foreign investment. Other leaders who supported the call for economic reforms in the democracy include former US President Barack Obama, who said, “The sustainable, effective democracy cannot survive with a weak middle-class public and an economy that cannot empower everyone”. This affirms the importance of a strong positive correlation between economic opportunity and political stability, a factor lacking in regions like the Middle East, North Africa and other parts of the world where youth unemployment and political discontent brew. Democratic institutionalization, on the other hand, requires economic changes to increase economic accountability and transparency and create employment for every citizen.
- ✓ Facilitating International Support:
While most of the Middle East is struggling with problems like authoritarianism, economic instability, and social inequality, international support is possibly one of the ways democracy can be encouraged. The unprecedented European cooperation can be in the form of financial assistance, diplomatic pressure, technical assistance, and multiple exchanges. For instance, funding of financial aid has the capacity to fund issues such as election monitoring, civic education, as well as the growth of democratic, independent media. The EU is one such case where significant funding has been placed to back up democratization in Tunisia and Morocco through funding electoral exercises and judiciary reforms for civil society. Alternatively, the UN or the European Union may use diplomatic pressure to make the authoritarian government carry out political liberalization. They can also offer technical support and create the necessary institutional capability to enhance democracy. It is essential and even mandatory that international support is provided. However, this has to be done in such a manner that Middle Eastern societies and cultures are not offended or wounded in any facet by whatever is offered to them. Otherwise, authoritarian regimes can refuse international support, considering it an external intervention. Therefore, the UN and EU need to engage the locals and ensure that the support provided achieves the intended goal and has a way forward.
Critical Analysis
Endogenous political, social, and economic structures explain why Middle Eastern democratization is both necessary and challenging. That is true; recent developments, like those in Tunisia, could demonstrate significant advancements. However, authoritarian governments that actively reject meaningful reforms are still predominant in the area as a whole. Democracy remains, therefore, stifled by the continuous and unresolved issues of political oppression, embezzlement and the poor check-and-balance stance of the legal system. In many countries where reforms have been attempted, setbacks are made, for instance, in Tunisia’s electoral commission or Morocco’s judiciary; this shows that in using democracy, not only do institutions need to be designed, but political and cultural change also need to be made continuously.
Conclusion
The Lack of political pluralism is one of the key challenges that have contributed to the slow progress of democracy within the Middle East. One way in which many governments sustain their control is by quashing other people’s parties and freedom of speech, which greatly slows down the development of democratic initiatives. The system of damaging regime security at the expense of the citizens is a result of power vested in the elite that hampers growth and sustains social injustice. There is no guarantee that the solidification of democratic structures will yield major change unless this power relation is disrupted. The youth can be encouraged to fight against the autocratic form of governance through the provision of civic education to the youth. The Middle East’s specific objectives must be pursued by correct strategies and relentless endeavours in order to make impressive changes towards an open, democratic future.
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