Will Democracy Succeed in Islamic Countries?

I think democracy is possible and can, in fact, thrive in countries where Islamic religion is a majority. I do not even think that the old guards in these countries have a choice. There’s enough evidence, like the so-called Arab spring, to suggest that the wind of change is well underway. The western world has always favored stability over the pains and the challenges that come with democratic ambitions. And this is more so in countries that are rich in natural resources like oil and natural gas. As a result, we have seen entrenched political rulers repress dissent by employing traditionalism which favors religiosity over secularism.

As an optimist that leans between liberalism and constructivism, I believe transnationalism and globalism will continue to allow people to exchange views, organize across borders, and even take political actions. A good example is the use of social media and other internet services that have been instrumental in the communication of ideas and news between dissidents inside these Islamic countries and emigrants overseas, including exiled activists. The text gives a good example on cultural globalization where CNN is viewed around the world and therefore, people in Islamic countries are able to consume western views, and western countries can consume middle-eastern views from its counterpart, Al Jazeera.

Transnationalism is forcing most people to re-examine their political identities. Thus, instead of seeing themselves as nationalists with singular identities, people can now belong to multiple identities. For instance, transnational organization like NGOs have been championing human rights and speaking against disfranchisement. As a matter of fact, Kuwait granted full women rights to vote in full legislative polls in 2007, while Qatar has allowed women’s vote in municipal elections. You can read more on this at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4874990.stm .

However, I cannot ignore the fact that progress on democracy has been painstakingly slow or even absent in many countries. I found the evaluation of globalization study by Pew research in world regions disappointing. The study shows that in the Middle East, 35% think globalization is good, 25% think it’s bad, and 40% are unsure. But as an optimist, 40% unsure is not such a bad thing; it is actually the highest of all the regions surveyed by the study. This number implies that there is a willingness by a large population to consider new ideas and views that come with globalization. Furthermore, this study was done 9 years ago, and of course, much has changed.

I think we also get carried away by the misinterpretation and the false assumptions about the radicalization of Islamic regions. As the text suggests, much of what we see in the western media is often a reaction to western policies that have resulted in invasions and exploitation of natural resources; it also highlights what most Islamic countries see as hypocritical in the way western powers execute international policies. And these shortcomings get magnified by propagandists especially those that conform to a more militant Islamic doctrine and have had success in unifying like-minded ideologues against a common enemy, western states.

To the pessimists, you may need to look at Turkey, Indonesia, Mali, and Senegal for evidence of democracy; they are by no means US style democracies, but they are high functioning, nonetheless.

NOTE:

Except where noted, the ideas in this article are adopted from a course text book (below) for general discussion purposes.

        Rourke, T. John. 2008.  International Politics on the World Stage. 12th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.