Commentary
Marwan Muasher
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Battle for Pluralism in the Arab World
Democracy can flourish in the Middle East, but it will take decades and will require major political and cultural change.
Published on Mar 15, 2014
Source: Tavis Smiley Show
Speaking on the Tavis Smiley Show, Carnegie’s Marwan Muasher discussed his new book The Second Arab Awakening: And the Battle for Pluralism, which argues that democracy can flourish in the Middle East, but will take decades and will require major political and cultural change. Once the political space has been opened, Muasher said, it is up to the people to take it to democratic ends. People have to roll up their sleeves and work towards putting in place democratic institutions that would ensure that the results will be pluralistic systems, he argued.
In a country like Tunisia, Muasher explained, they acknowledged from the beginning that all forces of society needs to be included in the process towards democracy, whereas in Egypt, all major forces attempted to rule in an exclusionist manner.
With 70 percent of the Arab world under 30 years of age, Muasher said, the young generation believes in democracy and pluralism and the right of all forces to operate. “You have a young generation which understands what it take,” he argued, “being exposed to the outside world [and] understands what it takes to build stable and prosperous systems.”
This interview was originally aired on the Tavis Smiley Show.
About the Author
Marwan Muasher
Vice President for Studies
Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at Carnegie, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East. Muasher served as foreign minister (2002–2004) and deputy prime minister (2004–2005) of Jordan, and his career has spanned the areas of diplomacy, development, civil society, and communications.
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Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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