http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/can-democracy-thrive-in-the-middle-east Opposing Views - Can Democracy Thrive in the Middle East? http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/there-was-no-and-there-is-no-history-of-democracy-in-the-middle-east There was no and there is no history of democracy in the Middle East, but repression, despotism, harassment, and humiliation. This is unfortunately a fact. There was not and there is not electing sovereign people in Arab-Islamic polities, but... Dr. David Bukay Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:22:25 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/there-was-no-and-there-is-no-history-of-democracy-in-the-middle-east http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/these-allegations-are-really-fantastic These allegations are really fantastic. It is exactly in Iraq, in the Palestinian Authority and in Pakistan, where under the State Department pressures to let the people elect freely, and what we got is: a) anarchy and chaos in Iraq where hundreds... Dr. David Bukay Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:22:25 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/these-allegations-are-really-fantastic http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/with-beliefs-one-cannot-go-to-the-grocery With beliefs one cannot go to the grocery. The facts are exactly as delivered to the Muslim Public Affairs Council, above. One should always deal with scientific facts, but again, the strategy used is to attack, to externalize: colonialism and the... Dr. David Bukay Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:22:25 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/with-beliefs-one-cannot-go-to-the-grocery http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/the-causes-are-not-outside-but-inside-the-arab-islamic-polities You are right, but the causes are not outside but inside the Arab-Islamic polities. "the angry frustrated people" as you mention, are not the result of colonialism, imperialism, the US. It is exactly because there is no, as you say - "the key... Dr. David Bukay Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:22:25 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/the-causes-are-not-outside-but-inside-the-arab-islamic-polities http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/us-policy-has-hurt-democratic-development I believe the way in which US democracy promotion efforts were launched and implemented after 9/11 hurt the region's evolution into democracy. Elections (even if free and fair) cannot be the starting point for democracy, especially in a region... Zeyno Baran Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:41:44 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/us-policy-has-hurt-democratic-development http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/consider-the-history-of-the-middle-east I strongly believe in a gradual approach towards democratization in the Middle East--undertaken with a clear understanding of the religious, cultural, and historic contexts. Too often these factors are dismissed as irrelevant by people who make... Zeyno Baran Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:41:41 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/consider-the-history-of-the-middle-east http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-muslim-peoples-support-democracy-oppose-us-policies Also, any time an election occurs in the Middle East, voter turnout usually runs over 70%, whether in Iraq or the Palestinian territories or Pakistan. That percentage is higher than most of our elections in the U.S. The Middle East is... MPAC Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:41:36 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-muslim-peoples-support-democracy-oppose-us-policies http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/there-is-a-history-of-democracy-in-the-middle-east Yes, democracy is possible in the Middle East .   In fact, democracy has had few but important manifestations in the Middle East .   Mohammed Mossadegh was a democratically elected leader in 1952 in Iran .   Our CIA... MPAC Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:41:30 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/there-is-a-history-of-democracy-in-the-middle-east http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/barriers-to-democracy-are-difficult-but-not-insurmountable   Two obstacles stand in the way of democratic change. In the Middle East tribal affiliations remain of paramount importance. As explained by Philip Carl Salzman in his recent book, Culture and Conflict in the Middle East , these ties... Middle East Forum Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:41:20 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/barriers-to-democracy-are-difficult-but-not-insurmountable http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/islamic-societies-have-spawned-reformers-in-the-past For Muslims to build fully functioning democracies, they basically must reject the Shari ‘a's public aspects. On occasion, intellectual and political leaders have stepped forward to make that a reality. Atatürk succeeded in rebuilding... Middle East Forum Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:41:15 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/islamic-societies-have-spawned-reformers-in-the-past http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/other-religions-have-successfully-embraced-democracy Islam, like all pre-modern religions, is undemocratic in spirit. No less than the others, however, it has the potential to evolve in a democratic direction. Throughout the ages, many religions have been called upon to modernize, and history... Middle East Forum Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:41:11 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/other-religions-have-successfully-embraced-democracy http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-us-should-devote-its-energies-to-pursuing-its-real-interests The reality is that Arab-Islamic history as much as contemporary, clearly show that in the Middle East there is anything but democratic liberal processes. There are no sovereign states led by an electorate and certainly no civic societies. There is... Dr. David Bukay Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:43:23 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-us-should-devote-its-energies-to-pursuing-its-real-interests http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/islam-is-against-democracy All Arab states are Muslim, except of Israel, and the first article in their constitution declares that the religion of the state is Islam. Lebanon is an exception, although Lebanon does not have the ingredients and components of a state, and will... Dr. David Bukay Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:43:22 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/islam-is-against-democracy http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/democratization-is-still-far-away The Middle East is comprised of only authoritarian regimes and patrimonial leaderships, as military regimes and as monarchies. None of the states is a real democracy, and none of them have the above-mentioned ingredients of democracy. The existence... Dr. David Bukay Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:43:21 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/democratization-is-still-far-away http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/arab-islamic-middle-east-and-democracy-are-totally-incompatible For all of the following reasons: Political, social, cultural, and regime-performance, Arab-Islamic Middle East and democracy are totally incompatible. It took Europe 500 years to become liberal and democratic, and it will take much longer for the... Dr. David Bukay Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:43:20 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/arab-islamic-middle-east-and-democracy-are-totally-incompatible