The 2006 parliamentary elections in Kuwait have two striking features. First, they are occasioned by an intense controversy over the size of electoral districts—a seemingly technical matter with significant implications for Kuwaiti political life. Second, in this dispute, liberals and Islamists are very much on the same side—a rare alliance in the region, and unusual even in Kuwait.
Egypt made progress in political liberties in 2005 over the course of presidential and parliamentary elections, despite many flaws. The developments of 2005 did not, however, put Egypt firmly on a path toward democracy nor did they demonstrate a clear commitment to such a path on the part of the ruling establishment.
Is the United States retreating from its democracy promotion agenda in the Arab world? Has the Bush administration become fearful of the potential outcome of Arab democratization after the electoral victory of Hamas and the considerable gains of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt's parliamentary elections last year?
Michele Dunne reports on how the low-level People’s Congress in Libya actually represents very little participation or power, and explains how the current system is too unwieldy and complicated to promote individual empowerment and accountability and that the real power of the Libyan government still rests with Omar Khadafi and a small circle of allies.
Since Egyptian legislative elections were held in December 2005, the National Democratic Party (NDP) has backslid on democratisation, reclaiming the ground of openness that it ceded over the past two years and reversing the short-lived tide of liberalisation. These and other factors indicate that democratisation is back to square one, unless the opposition can force the government's hand.
The lack of democratic breakthroughs worthy of mention in Arab countries has spurred debate about barriers to change. The debate would be incomplete, however, without a discussion of the means by which authoritarian Arab regimes control their societies, particularly the critical roles performed by security services.
The subject of democracy promotion has in recent years moved to the center stage of U.S. foreign policy as a result of the heightened awareness of the strong connections between the state of democracy in the world and vital U.S. national interests. The U.S. government is devoting greater resources than ever before to the task of supporting democracy abroad.