Democracy in the Arab World: Not Yet, Thanks

When internal and external forces both pressured for political liberalization in the Middle East, many of the region’s autocratic rulers at least paid lip service to democracy. Recently, though, the trend has reversed as more citizens expect their governments to strive for stability and preserve the status quo. With soaring oil prices, entrenched leaders have plenty of cash to eliminate dissent. Meanwhile, victories of Islamist extremist groups in some of the region’s democratic experiments – including Palestine and Egypt – immediately cooled enthusiasm for Middle East democratic reform among politicians and academics of the West. Once again, worldwide realpolitik has trumped the nascent wave of democratic change. – YaleGlobal