Democracy in the Middle East

Democracy in the Middle East
The general perception in Western countries is that nations in the Middle East cannot practice democracy because of religion and culture of the people in these nations. This perception does not match the real reasons the people in the Middle Eastern nations have hard time installing democratic leaders.

The biggest obstacle in installing democratic governments in most nations in the Middle East is the manner in which power is and retained in the countries. Most nations in the Middle East are controlled by the members of the Royal Family. When families control the government of a nation without going through periodic elections, it is most likely that the best set of people will not be in charge of the government. This is the biggest problem we face in the Middle East. For example, the leaders of Saudi Arabia are not elected by the people because the members of the Royal Family in Saudi Arabia believe that they are entitled to rule the country forever. As a result, there is no opposition in the country because everyone who speaks out against the members of the Royal Family is quickly arrested and imprisoned.

Without any form of opposition in the country on how the government should be managed, and without having to compete for their political positions in government, the members of the leadership class in the Middle East do not see any need to perform their duties and to look after the needs of the people. They only look after their own needs and after the needs of their family members. The leaders and their families therefore act as if the government exists for them alone, so they are always interested in protecting the privileges and rights they enjoy at the expense of the rights and wishes of the majority of the people in the country. The people of the country suffer in silence for many years even though the Western governments are aware of the suffering and problems. In some cases, the governments of the Western nations look