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. Finally, discuss the tribal nature of many Arab societies and how that may have influenced the lack of democratic governments.