Democratization in the Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Democratization in the Middle East - Essay Example The information revolution is seen as a leading factor of political instability in the region and as a result, it impacts on the democratization process in a negative way. This is owing to the fact that the improved infrastructure from the Persian Gulf to North Africa facilitates the effectiveness of opposition movements and terrorists. For example, Islamists in Tunisia and Saudi Arabia use recent developments in communication to fight against the current regimes. The cumulative effect of this development is a decline in democratization. The second challenge to the process of democratization is the forces of Islam and nationalism. These are known as the two most influential forces in the region. The development of Islamist factions has serious implications on the democratization process in the region as well as the relationship between Islam states and the rest of the world. For example, countries such as Algeria where Islamist regimes exist but are in their early stages may experien ce a long-term struggle that impacts democratization.Thirdly, the concept of democracy is unfamiliar in the foundations of Islam which is the main religion in the region. In other terms, democracy is irreconcilable with the Muslim religion. This can be supported by the fact that among the number of countries with an Islamic majority only twenty-three percent of them have democratically elected regimes. In fact, only one Muslim nation across the world is considered as democratic.