Introduction: The Middle East and The West:
Democracy is a system of government or organization in which the citizens or members choose leaders or make other important decisions by voting (Collins compact, Australian dictionary, 1999 , p. 222). Democratization has been a major global phenomenon during the twentieth century .It has spread with particular vigor since the 1970s. In 1975 at least 68 percent of countries throughout the world were authoritarian; by the end of the 1995 only about 26 per cents were authoritarian (Potter, 1997, p 1). The big changes in the world, during that period of time, especially the end of communism, and the huge economic developments, have encouraged many countries, to switch to democracy method. However democratization has a weaker or non existent impulse in some regions such as the Middle East. Most of the Middle Eastern countries have been controlled by autocratic regimes for a long period of time, those types of regimes have not responded to the majors transformation which changed the face of the world, so as a result of that there have been arguments about the hot region of the Middle East for a long time. The Middle East has always been, and will remain for decades ahead a fascinating, and critically important region of the world, for more than one reason. For example the Middle East is a strategically located region. It lies in the small area where Europe, Africa and Asia come in to contact. It belongs to neither continent but it owes some things to all of them and, in turn, has contributed to their culture and historical development. If it is true to say that the history of the world essentially belongs to the history of religions, the Middle East should then be seen as a fountainhead. (Abd & Grenon, 1997, p. 12).
According to a convention commonly agreed among historians, the modern history of the Middle East begins at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when a French expeditionary force commanded by general Napoleon Bonaparte invaded and conquered Egypt and stayed there until it was forced to leave by a squadron of the Royal navy commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson. This was the first incursion from the west into the heartlands of the Islamic world. (Lewis, 1997, p. 33). That event was a turning point for the Middle East future and led to open the doors widely for the western powers to intervention in the making of the history of the region in different ways, for example by the direct invention or indirect ways. Moreover, for many years the Middle East was the place disputed between the foreign powers especially during the world wars 1 and 2; all the disputations were clearly to control the region and for interests and profits. All that led to the instability and conflicts in the Middle East. Through out the centuries, the Middle East frequently became coveted by whoever happened to wield power. Lewis (1997) claimed that in the old days those who sought to dominate came from within the region or from nearby place. In modern times distant power such as the USA also fixed their ambitions and brought their rivalries to the Middle East. The United States of America is attempting to foster democracy in the Middle East through military conquest and occupation such as in Afghanistan and Iraq .In addition Washington hinting that Baghdad is merely the first step on the road to democratizing the entire Middle East, the new USA foreign policy has taken a sharp reversal of several decades of steadfast support for many autocratic regimes in the region, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The new attitude has come post the 9 / 11 terrorist attack against the USA and has urged USA administration to add this issue to the list of the other priorities in the region such as access to oil, cooperation and assistance on counterterrorism and preventing the Islamist parties from seizing power.
So far the USA seems unable to go forward on its mission and experiencing many difficulties in the Middle East and may lead to face a real defeat.
The Great challenges of Enforcing Democracy in the Middle East:
Therefore enforcing democracy in the Middle East will face three great challenges.
One of the arguments against this view is that democracy is the most effective mechanism to guard against political authoritarianism and protect the human rights of the Middle Eastern. There are claims that it is the right time for democratic changes to sweep the Middle East. This argument claims that the democratic factors are already alive in the region even mainstream Islamists understand the need for democracy to protect human rights and ensure stability in the region of the Middle East. Furthermore, most Arabs and Muslims in the Middle East are dissatisfied with their ruling autocrat regimes and they will accept the opportunity given by the west. However, this opinion does not seem reasonable because there is still a large support given by the West, particularly the United States, to some of the powerful dictators in many countries such as Egypt and Jordan. Moreover, it is well known that the West has placed corrupt Arab leaders into positions of power and supported the overthrow of those that are not seen as favorable. The USA is ready to apply military force and to be “policeman of the Middle East” to help the regimes of its Arab allies to withstand internal pressure and challenges (Abd & Grenon, 1997, p. 9). This support given by the west to its Arab allies has rooted in history as these regimes have been created by the west to maintain superiority, control and influence over the region.
One of the major challenges with the democratic plan in the Middle East is that there is still much mistrust according to the past experience between the East and West as history has left deep scars for people in the region, many of whom equate liberal democracy with western political hegemony and domination (Gerges, 2005).
The challenge is for the West – particularly the United States – to overcome this view and work with the international community to facilitate, rather than to impose the democracy. Weizman ( 2005 ) claimed that both the governments and publics in the Middle East are trying to parse every single statement which comes out of the United States about reform the region .Recently, many Muslims believe that the USA is using a deliberate tactic to avoid genuine democratization in the Middle East and the essence of US policy over the last decades has been antithetical to Arab democracy and self-determination.
Another challenge facing the process of enforcing democracy in the Middle East is that the religious life of the Middle East has brought enrichment and unity throughout the centuries and to the present time. Therefore, the dividing line between religion and politics in the area is very narrow and many national leaders will not hesitate to use religion as a populist political ideology (Abd & Grenon, 1997, p. 73).
Beside this, there is now an increased anti-west sentiment, anti-US in particular in the world of Islam, as many Arabs and Muslims are reluctant to accept the USA plan in their region accompanied by a huge public backlash against American intervention in their countries' internal affairs. The roots of Islamist anti-Americanism were deep long before the rise of the Jihadist movement in the 1990s, or the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979. They were developed by the anti-American atmosphere of secular Arab regimes, such as the Nasserist and Ba'thist (Paz, 2003 ). Even people who are interested in liberating the Middle East prefer that the international community led by the United Nations, not the United States, lead the drive for promoting democratic governance in the area by exerting pressure on Muslim dictators to open up their political systems.
The last challenge related to the enforcing of democracy in the Middle East is that members of Islam’s radical branches have no interest in coming to terms with non-Muslims, or even moderate Muslims. The dilemma sharpens for many Muslims who would like to advanced themselves by taking advantage of Western technology and the spirit of Western democracy without having to absorb what they see as “Western greed and decadence” ( Abd & Grenon, 1997, p. 25). The radical Muslim groups have been working to redefine liberal democracy in Islamic terms and make it comprehensible and acceptable to Arab and Muslim masses. Furthermore, they have been trying to Islamize democracy and modernity and strip them of their Western clothing. In addition, Islam has become increasingly influential in Arab cultural and political life during the last few years. For example, there are many Muslim associations, study groups, welfare organizations, and financial institutions have emerged. The radical Islamic groups have had success in attracting new followers, including younger individuals, women as well as men, and many well-educated persons.
These parties clearly show that there is nothing unique or intrinsic about Arab and Islamic culture that inhibits democratic governance.
Conclusion:
In summary, it has to be admitted that, for all these reasons, enforcing democracy in the Middle East will face great challenges and the USA has to approve its will as there is still much mistrust in the region. Moreover, the USA has to deal carefully with some other important factors such as the Islamic radical groups and the role of the Islamic environment in the Middle East. However, promotion of liberalism and democratization in The Middle East must be accompanied by a genuine and systematic struggle and must be led by the international community not the USA only. Thus, the United States could be much more effective if it worked jointly with the international community in assisting progressive forces in the region.
A broad coalition could more successfully exert systematic political, economic, and diplomatic pressure against Arab ruling autocrats and force them to be attentive to their citizens' aspirations.
References:
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Collins compact Australian dictionary, Australian Edition, 1996, Bank of English,
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Gerges, F., 2005 “The Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global" Cambridge University
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Paz, R., 2003. “ Islamists and Anti – Americansim “ Middle East Review of International.
Affairs, Volume 7, No. 4.p.23. Retrieved May 27, 2005, from Meria data****.
Potter, D., 1997, Democratization, polity press, Cambridge.
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