The control of central governments is growing weaker throughout the Arab world writesRami Khouri from the Daily Star. The power has begun to shift “into the hands of Islamized urban quarters, armed militias, ethnic-based parties, neighborhood thugs, autonomous regional authorities, multinational corporations, and private-sector commercial real estate firms.” The influence of non-state actors was shown during the 2006 battle between Hezbollah and Israel, when Israel was forced to accept a U.N. ceasefire. This dissipation of state power, according to Khouri, can be attributed to the “declining credibility of state authority; the determination of concerned citizens to take charge of their own life needs and well-being; and the enormous power of the globalized commercial marketplace.”
Bernd Debusmann, in an article in the Daily Star, points out that for the first time in their history the Gulf states are setting aside more money for education than for arms. He suggests this will lead to more reform. However, he points out that “while those driving the education train see it as the start of an Arab renaissance, religious conservatives see an assault on traditional values.” Despite some resistance, he suggests that these are changes that can not be stopped.
Yesterday, Project on Middle East Democracy and Freedom House presented a panel of speakers addressing the issue of reform in Saudi Arabia and the other Arab Gulf states. Thomas Melia, Deputy Executive Director of Freedom House and former Director of Middle East Programs at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and Ali Alyami, Executive Director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, spoke on reform in Saudi Arabia. David Mikosz, Associate Director of the Center for Democracy and Election Management at the American University in Washington, D.C., and Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science at George Washington University and Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, spoke about reform in the other Gulf states.
The overall consensus of the panel was that Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states are among the least free in the world and the minimal reforms that have taken place are largely symbolic. However, there is some hope that democracy could develop gradually though accretion of power by parliaments or other consultative bodies. The panel also encouraged US pressure on the Gulf states to support reforms.
Event Details
Date: November 1, 2007 2:30pm
Panelists
Thomas Melia, Deputy Executive Director of Freedom House
Ali Alyami, Executive Director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
David Mikosz, Associate Director of the Center for Democracy and Election Management at the American University
Nathan Brown, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Moderator:
Stephen McInerney, POMED’s Director of Advocacy
Downloads
Click here to read POMED’s full notes on this event.
Click here to watch a video transcript of this event on fora.tv or use the embedded player below.
Ellee Seymourcontrasts the election of Argentina’s first woman president with the election in Oman where no women candidates were elected. She notes that it is particularly disappointing because a record number of women ran this time and it is reported that more women than men turned out to vote at some polling stations. She gives some possible explanations for this result.
An article in The Peninsula, an English language newspaper in Qatar, points out that Oman was the first conservative Muslim Gulf Arab state to give women the right to vote and run for public office, and two women are in the outgoing council. It also discusses the lack of real power of the Majlis Ash-Shura, or Consultative Council, but says that most Omanis are satisfied with it.
On Saturday, Omani citizens voted for representatives to their country’s consultative council, which serves in an advisory role to the monarch and government ministers. Despite a record number of female candidates, no women won a seat on the council, though a high voter turnout has been hailed as a positive sign by Oman’s government.
Rafiah Al-Talei, in the Daily Star, argues that Oman’s Shura Council, though touted as a step toward democracy, has no power and is essentially meaningless. He discusses many problems with the council, including that the president is appointed by the Sultan and that its role is not even truly consultative.
The September issue of the Arab Reform Bulletin of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is now available. It includes a look at scenarios for the presidential election in Lebanon, an examination of the election in Morocco, and an article about aspirations for electoral changes in Oman. It also contains news and views about human rights issues in the Middle East. The whole issue is a highly recommended read.
