Democratisation in the Middle East: Dilemmas and Perspectives

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright Page......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 5
Introduction......Page 7
The Arab Human Development Reports......Page 19
Governance crisis and development......Page 20
National liberation and foreign occupation......Page 21
Freedom and good governance......Page 23
Scenarios for the future......Page 24
Reforms on the global level......Page 26
External versus internal pressures......Page 27
The Role of religion......Page 28
Conclusion......Page 29
Authoritarian state building......Page 31
Changing Environments: Authoritarianism under pressure?......Page 35
Roads to Democratisation......Page 38
3. US and European support to democratic reform: The intentions and practices as seen from the Middle East......Page 41
Dilemmas and obstacles......Page 42
The Palestinian and Kuwaiti cases......Page 43
Political power and economic ownership......Page 45
What kind of democracy?......Page 46
The role of parliaments......Page 49
Western policy options and interventions......Page 50
Summary of options......Page 56
In the very beginning, there was democracy......Page 59
Democracy meeting the challenges!......Page 60
Decades of authoritarianism......Page 62
The spring of democracy?......Page 64
Are there any Political Parties in Syria?......Page 66
Is State and “Power” the same?......Page 71
Where does the business community stand?......Page 74
Is Syrian Islam Radical?......Page 75
US, Europe and the Syrian Power System......Page 77
US, Europe and the Syrian political parties......Page 81
Who support the strengthening of the State?......Page 84
Economic reforms before political reforms?......Page 86
US, Europe and Syrian Islam......Page 88
Conclusion and perspectives......Page 90
Appendix 1......Page 91
Introduction......Page 93
Crises......Page 94
Reform......Page 96
Elections......Page 98
6. A Palestinian view on the role of Western NGOs in promoting democracy and especially women’s rights in the Middle East......Page 101
Democratisation of Palestine......Page 102
Western intervention and democracy......Page 103
Image of the other......Page 104
An example from Palestine......Page 105
A women’s project in Palestine......Page 106
A project to establish two vocational training centres for women in the refugee camps in Gaza......Page 108
Women’s rights and occupation......Page 109
Conclusion......Page 111
The democratic charade......Page 113
External pressure points......Page 114
Elections without voters......Page 115
The mirage of participation......Page 117
Confrontation and violence......Page 118
The endless dilemma......Page 119
An opening question......Page 121
An Arab public opinion on Western initiatives for democratisation of the Middle East......Page 122
Saudi Arabia and political reforms......Page 125
Suggestions and recommendations for political reforms in Saudi Arabia......Page 128
9. Democratisation in future Iraq......Page 131
Democracy and security......Page 132
Challenges......Page 133
Suggestions......Page 139
Conclusion......Page 140
Ethnic and sectarian divisions......Page 141
A fragmented political scene......Page 142
Presidential or parliamentary system?......Page 143
Slogans of democracy......Page 144
Women and human rights......Page 145
What can we learn from the young Muslims in Europe?......Page 151
Islam in Europe......Page 152
Islamophobia......Page 154
Where does this take us?......Page 156
What to do?......Page 161
Biographies......Page 165