By Eric Pagett
As the uprisings in the Middle East continue to spread across the Arab countries, I find myself pondering the cause of the “democracy-seekers’” sudden momentum. Protesters in recent months have been reported to claim that the economic status and social dynamics of their country have driven them to challenging the governments that control their lives. While each country is unique and each day holds different promises for each government, as well as for protesters and common civilians, there is one unifying factor across the board. This factor? The desire of the protesters, anti-government regimes, rebels (whatever label you wish to put on them), is to raise the standard of living for the common-man by adopting the qualities and elements of democracy.
Why is democracy so attractive? Is it because it works for the West? That can’t be a good enough reason. As we’ve seen, in ample examples, the Middle East will not be able to sustainably adopt Western methods. The Middle East needs a democracy of its own.
What does this mean? Well, it means much more than elections. As we saw in Iraq in 2005, governmental elections are not the “democracy pill”. Democracy is much more then elections, it’s a culture. Although democratic process at the governmental level is vital to the success of democracy, there also exists a responsibility on the every-day civilians to embrace democratic principles. These principles include rule of law, equal and balanced justice, freedom of expression for all, and most importantly: equal rights. In addition, democracy is dependant upon a unity of the population, one that isn’t present in Middle Eastern countries like Libya.
So, can democracy be adopted in the Middle East, or is this an unachievable ideal? Can country-wide democracy be implemented by the government when the civilians of that country don’t live a democratic life within the confines of their home? A society cannot be truly democratic when a man has the right to beat his wife, women are not allowed to drive a car or be seen in public without their husband, or when it is a transgression against your government to reveal your face or your hair in public as a woman. These practices are not universal across the Arab world, however they are common enough to make note of.
So where does that leave us? Well we certainly can’t allow dictatorships to continue to rule and suppress the citizens of the Middle East. A new democracy must emerge, one that embraces social norms, yet challenges the idea of division and inequality. Each country must find their own methods and practices, but most importantly it must come from the people.
To be clear, I am a citizen of a democratic country, and so I understand that my opinion of democracy and the promise it holds in the Middle East may vary from others views. Although I have traveled to the Middle East, understanding the social dynamics and local context of a country and a religion is a complex task that takes far longer than I’ve been studying this region of the world.