Commentary
Amr Hamzawy
{
"authors": [
"Amr Hamzawy"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "MEP",
"programs": [
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Middle East"
],
"topics": [
"Political Reform",
"Democracy"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
Progress Towards Democracy Has Halted in the Arab World
A substantial majority of the audience at the first of the new series of Doha Debates was convinced that progress towards democracy in the Arab world has come to a halt. An audience of nearly 350 people from states throughout the Middle East voted 64 percent in favour of the motion which heard deep concerns that democracy was not only at a standstill but had regressed from a more liberal era.
By Amr Hamzawy
Published on Oct 9, 2008
Source: The Doha Debates
An audience of nearly 350 people from states throughout the Middle East voted 64 per cent in favour of the motion which heard deep concerns that democracy was not only at a standstill but had regressed from a more liberal era.
Dr. Amr Hamzawy, an Egyptian political scientist and Senior Associate at the Carnegie International Endowment for Peace, speaking for the motion, said modern Arab states lacked the checks and balances for parliaments and the judiciary that are fundamental to democracy.
Arguing that freedom of speech and the rule of law had not been established in the vast majority of Arab states, Dr. Hamzawy said “from Morocco to Bahrain opposition movements are weak, vulnerable and manipulated by ruling establishments.”
He said there were no excuses for not having moved further and faster to democratisation. “We’ve had enough time. There are long periods of liberalisation in our history. We were at more advanced stages in the 20’s 30’s and 40’s than now. Look at Greece and Chile who have made it.’
Dr. Mustafa Hamarneh, CEO of the media company Al Mada, which publishes Jordan’s weekly Al Sijill newspaper, also supporting the motion, said Arab states saw everything from the perspective of the security apparatus.
“We have been unable to build modern Arab states based on equality and rule of law. We don’t see independent media flourishing and the education system is in a shambles. We are at a critical stage in our development.”
Speaking against the motion, May Chidiac, a Lebanese television presenter and journalist who lost her left leg and one of her hands when her car was blown up north of Beirut in 2005, argued that Bahrain, Lebanon and Kuwait, where women now have the vote, had moved substantially towards democracy in comparison to their position 10 years ago.
“I lost a hand and I lost a leg, but I still believe we respect freedom of expression in Lebanon.”
She said democracy in the Arab world was a case of taking small steps and waiting for the right moment, as with the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. “It is up to the people to resist despotic governments. Sometimes peacefully, sometimes in a different way.”
Dr. Salah Al-Shaikhly, Iraq’s first ambassador to London following the fall of Saddam Hussein, said he believed many Arab rulers were now “wary of blatant violations of human rights and that “rumours of the death of democracy in the Arab world were highly exaggerated.”
But neither Ms Chidiac nor Dr. Al-Shaikhly were able to refute arguments put by the Chairman Tim Sebastian and members of the audience who asked them to provide examples of a single Arab leader who had been voted out of office by popular suffrage.
About the Author
Amr Hamzawy
Director, Middle East Program
Amr Hamzawy is a senior fellow and the director of the Carnegie Middle East Program. His research and writings focus on governance in the Middle East and North Africa, social vulnerability, and the different roles of governments and civil societies in the region.
- Iran Is Pushing Its Neighbors Toward the United States
- U.S. Peace Mediation in the Middle East: Lessons for the Gaza Peace PlanPaper
Amr Hamzawy, Sarah Yerkes, Kathryn Selfe
Recent Work
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.
More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
- Tokayev’s New Constitution Is a Bet on Stability—At Freedom’s ExpenseCommentary
Kazakhstan’s new constitution is an embodiment of the ruling elite’s fears and a self-serving attempt to preserve the status quo while they still can.
Serik Beysembaev
- The Kremlin Is Destroying Its Own System of Coerced VotingCommentary
The use of technology to mobilize Russians to vote—a system tied to the relative material well-being of the electorate, its high dependence on the state, and a far-reaching system of digital control—is breaking down.
Andrey Pertsev
- Notes From Kyiv: Is Ukraine Preparing for Elections?Commentary
As discussions about settlement and elections move from speculation to preparation, Kyiv will have to manage not only the battlefield, but also the terms of political transition. The thaw will not resolve underlying tensions; it will only expose them more clearly.
Balázs Jarábik
- Once Neutral on the Ukraine War, Arab States Increasingly Favor MoscowCommentary
Disillusioned with the West over Gaza, Arab countries are not only trading more with Russia; they are also more willing to criticize Kyiv.
Ruslan Suleymanov
- Where Does the Split in the Ruling Tandem Leave Kyrgyzstan?Commentary
Despite its reputation as an island of democracy in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan appears to be on the brink of becoming a personalist autocracy.
Temur Umarov
