The Arab Democracy Deficit: Causes and Complexities

The Arab World's Democracy Deficit

Larry Diamond begins by observing Samuel Huntington's "third wave" of democratization. As a result of this wave, globalization is now, for the first time, a global phenomenon. We have democracies all around the world with one significant exception: the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.

There are 16 countries in the MENA region, including Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. Historically, only one has ever been considered a democracy: Lebanon. However, this case is complex due to its large Christian population, which may have influenced the creation of a democratic system. Moreover, Lebanon's democracy today is not a strong example and is, in fact, in decline.

In his 2012 article, Diamond attempts to answer the question: why is the MENA region the only one that is not democratic? He provides two possible explanations:

• Underdevelopment: This results in an uneducated and illiterate society with no significant middle class.
• Rentier States: Many nations in the region are rentier states (oil-rich states), a condition which can inhibit democratic development.

Diamond does not believe that cultural or religious factors are the primary cause, but he analyzes both of them.

Cultural and Religious Factors

The Role of Islam

There are 29 Muslim-majority democracies in the world, and eight are fully democratic. Some are African and some are Asian, but none are Arab. Therefore, there is no empirical evidence to suggest that Islam is incompatible with democracy. The democracy gap is an Arab gap, not an Islamic one.

Arab Political Culture

Some argue that Arab political culture, because of its Muslim roots, is incompatible with democracy. However, Diamond notes that other regions have successfully democratized. He suggests what makes democracy unsustainable in the Arab context is tribalism and sectarianism. Sectarianism is often so strong that it seems impossible to manage within a democracy. Yet, paradoxically, it was a sectarian power-sharing model that made democracy possible in Lebanon.

Defining Democracy in the Region

Perhaps the issue lies with the concept of democracy itself. Could it be that Arabs are not democratic? This seems unlikely, as polls show that around 80% of people in the MENA region say they want democracy. The more important question is: what do they mean by "democracy"? The level of electoral participation is not always a good indicator of genuine support for democratic principles.

Diamond admits that the relationship between Islam and democracy is complex. Most people understand democracy as simply the rule of the majority. However, if there is a majority, there is also a minority, and we must consider the rights of minorities, as they are crucial to a functioning democracy.