Credit: arabnews.com

Democracy is predominantly practiced by the western world. The disdain Arab nations have towards colonial powers has given democracy a negative connotation. Discuss the causes and effects of the lack of democratic governance in the Middle East. The populations of oil-producing states in the Middle East benefit from the distributive nature of the state, and thus have no reason to pursue greater political freedoms. Non-oil producing states on the other hand have an authoritative one-party system where the regimes promise economic well-being and security/stability in their region in exchange for the population’s political freedoms. Continue reading