مجلة الديمقراطي - The Processes of Democratization and Human Rights in the Arab World

By: Abdulnabi Alekry, ANND

ANND Workshop on Arab Society

WSF, Mumbai, 16-22 Jan. 2004-01-14

The issues of reform, democratization and human rights have become center of debates and concern in the Arab world. This is a health sign after decades of stagnation of both the Arab society and the ruling regimes alike.

What makes democratization so difficult, the reform so deformed, and respect of human rights so remote? On the other hand, what make us somewhat optimistic, that the Arab renaissance might work this time?

The Legacy of Subjection

Abdulrahman Ibn Khaldoun, the founder of Arab sociology in the 14^th.century, formulated his thesis on the Arabs, who are basically characterized by clannishness, difficult to lead, and individualist. He resorted that to Bedwin roots, and tribal bondage that defy urbanization.

Abdulraman Alkawakebi, the religious reformer in the 19^th.century, wrote a book on The Habits of Despotism, in which he analyzed the roots of despotism in the Arab society, and its sustainability in the ruling establishment.

Hady Alalawi, the historian, documented the record of political assai nation in the Arab history.

In the contemporary time, distinguished scholars, such as Mohamed Aljaberi, Borhan Ghaleon, Abdulhad Khalaf, Foad Khoury, and Khaldon Alnaqeb, contributed to the study of inherent characteristics of the Arab society , such as clannish, hierarchal subjection, women demise, unfamiliarity with democracy and disregard for human rights.

It is not only the heritage tat contributed to the defyness of democracy and modernization in the Arab world, but other as important factors, such as, Othman backward rule colonial legacy, the fragmentation of the Arab world for centuries, the repeated devastating invasions, and the creation of Israel as antagonistic body.

We will examine the contemporary factors impeding the democratization and promotion of human rights in the Arab world, the driving factors behind the struggle for that, and the prospect of this processes.

Despotic Rules of Different Grades

The contemporary rules in the Arab world royal hereditary or republican defacto hereditary. With the exception of Lebanon, where election leads to new President, elections in other Arab republics lead to President belonging to the same family, party or league. Some phrased the Arab ruling system, as Jamlaka. Despite the facial adaptation of multi-party system in Arab countries, the rule of the ruling party is intact. Actually, the Party is a mean of the state, controlled by a league, and a façade of rule. If the turnover of power is the essence of democratic rule, this is not the case in the Arab world.

In most Arab countries, the ruling clan or league, monopolize the decisive posts in the state, especially those related to armed forces, security, and money generating. Ministries of sovereignty nature are reserved to the inner ring of the ruling clan or league.

The state dominates the society and shapes the way it suits the rule. Securing influential post in the state, facilitate control of business, thus members of the ruling clan or league form the cream of business class. Any businessman aspiring to successes should secure partner within the ruling clan or league. Power and wealth merge together.

Securing both requires the subjection of the society. The fragmentation of the society, the weakening of the civil society, and wavering outside dangers are some means. It is phenomenal that religious groups were used against communists and nationalists, in the past, and now reformists are used against fundamentalist in the present. Sectarianism, factionalism, nationalism and tribalism are instigated to divert attention away of rules of failure.

US-Israeli factor

Since the establishment of Israel, at the expense of Palestine, and in full collaboration with the US the Arab world has been engaged in a war of attrition, active or subtle. Israel engaged in five major wars against the Palestinians, and the neighboring Arab countries (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, in addition to strikes against Iraq and Tunisia. Colonial UK and France collaborated with Israel in 1956 war against Egypt, while US supported fully all Israeli wars and aggression. Since its economic strangulation of Nasser regime in Egypt, the US strategy in the Arab world has been to ensure supremacy of Israel, secure oil, and sustain weakness and fragmentation of the Arab world. Despite the fact that Israel and US policy poses real danger to the sovereignty, and wellbeing of most Arab states , especially those around Palestine, it was used as pretext by the successive regimes to absolve the peoples will, democracy and human rights .The failure of Arab development, unity and modernization is partially due to the US-Israel factor, and to the nature of the ruling regime.

Inefficient Arab League

The Arab League was established in 1947, to face the challenge of creating Israel. It failed to do so. It was created to circumvent the popular demand for decolonization and unification, and designed to preserve independent Arab states indefinitely. After nearly six decades, the Arab League failed to accomplish even its modest objectives. The European Community was established in 1948, of different nations, with historic enmities, but it has transformed into European Union, and possibly European Federation. Democracy and popular participation is behind the European successes and its absence is behind the Arab failure.

The Wakening of the Civil Society

The Arab failure in development, good governess, unification, human rights, modernization, ending the Palestinians plight and curbing Israeli expansion is clear. The 11^th Sept. event complicated their demise. The US, the lonely superpower, chose the Arab world as playground for its new preemptive policy. Iraq is an ideal target, to be set as an example for others. While the pro-US Arab regimes felt secured under US patronage, it is no more the norm of today. They are either to transform to suit the US design or perish. American democratization is a mean and not an end, to create stable, but lenient regimes that reconcile Israel and open to US influence.

While the Arab regimes are too weak to resist US policy, and some sectors are eager to crop on that, the emerging forces of change are against both the US and the regimes. There are several factors that contributed to the emergence and possible surge of forces of change amongst:

-Claims of defense of sovereignty, national interest, and confrontation of Israel, have been dashed out.

-The failure in development, and the deterioration of living , even in oil producing countries , regardless of the proclaimed system, capitalist or socialist, shattered the image of the state as benefactor of the society, and uncovered its nature as its exploiter.

-The state control of the media, being used to brainwash the population, is dashed away. The revolution of communication and media enabled any person to be knowledgeable of the affairs, including internal affairs, sought to be hidden by the state.

-The superficial organizations, such as parties, syndicates, societies, unions …etc. fabricated by the state to contain the people, especially the elites, are no more functional. Civil society organizations, especially human rights and forums are being established, even illegally. People tend to be more defiant and more independent of the state in their living and thinking.

-The globalization processes and international surge of democracy and human rights, is bringing popular forces around the world together. It is new internationalism, countering the forces of capital, led by the US. The sites of confrontation are everywhere and it happens anytime.

Prospect of Democratization

Most of the Arab regimes are trying to cope with the US pressure of facial democratization. They are uprooting the fundamentalist old allies within the US led campaign against terrorism, flirting with the democrats and liberal's .They facilitated US sponsored program of democratization “US-Middle East Partnership for Democracy and Human Rights. They are yielding to US and WTO for open markets Reform is the secret word. But it is clear that it is not convincing reform, but rather good image makeup.

There is increasing awareness that radical reform is necessary .Reform should be initiated in the society and the state at same time. It is painful, long and complicated processes. There is no quick fix solution. As the civil society becomes stronger and independent from the state, then it could defy the state and weaken its base. The latest example of Georgia is luring.

Today, tens of Arab NGOs are participating in the WSF independent and even contrary of the Arab states will. Thousands are not present, but carry the same aspiration. This is positive and encouraging sign.