Building Democratic Societies in the Arab World

Globalization has turned the world into a small village in which social, economic, and cultural factors have merged such that no authority in the world can act outside the ideas shared by the people of this global village. These ideas express how people can live in prosperity and peace for the benefit of all humanity without social, national, and religious differences that can hinder the process of globalization.

Democratic societies cannot be achieved without participation in political decision-making, whether at the level of political authority´-or-at the local level, by applying what is called “democratic socialism,” which means involving citizens in the affairs of their local community. Communal development cannot be achieved unless the relations of citizenship are damaged, i.e. authorities decide and citizens follow, without any kind of true participation.

Freedom of citizens is the base of democratic systems, and an individual’s independence from power will grant that individual a chance and ability to manage his/her own future. This independence however cannot be achieved without individuals coming together collectively to ensure success.

In order to get this job done, it is necessary to be open to others’ experiences in order to benefit from them rather than remain restricted to past values that imprison the citizen in a circle of cultural failure. It is important to deepen the concepts of citizenship and political participation as well as the emphasis on the spirit of cooperation and openness for the advantage of society.

The Arab world needs to be open to the culture, civilization, and scientific progress that is taking place in the world. After being dominated by constrictive ideologies in the past´-or-subjection to leaders, community participation should help Arab society in bridging this gap.

This can be achieved by preparing new elites that believe and have a vision that the future of world peace cannot be achieved without cultural openness and adopting pioneering experiences of other world civilizations.

One of the main steps that must be considered to solve this issue is preparing youth to seek independent knowledge and not to accept influence. This process requires raising children to understand politics and involving them from childhood. The younger generation should be guided in the belief that the future has its own responsibility and power. The generation should not wait for the power but should think of what achievements they may contribute through participation at the local and national levels. If society can succeed in conveying this idea, dictators will not have acceptance among young generations.

Supporting civil society is crucial, as it represents the bridge that links power with citizens and communicates their views, demands, and needs, along with a means to defend their rights against extreme power. The importance of civil society’s role is clear in guaranteeing the stability and effectiveness of democratic institutions and their contribution to developing behaviors and social capitalism by maintaining people’s belief in democracy.

Social capitalism means values, social relations, attitudes, and behaviors that are shared in order to reach and accomplish collective goals which are embodied in civil participation networks in which citizens cooperate to achieve a mutual benefit. This cooperation cannot be achieved unless there is freedom of expression, participation, and equality amongst all citizens. And this, therefore, gives them the right to form professional and political parties. More importantly, is the political succession to power, and the absence of this will lead to the absence of the opposition’s right in expressing its opinion and participation in power.

The concentration on the role of democracy in educational institutions should be a priority. Unfortunately, families in our societies lack the spirit of tolerance and political flexibility. Educational institutions’ goal is to raise generations that believe in the acceptance of others’ views even if they are different. The nature of flexibility means acceptance of other views and beliefs which occur through openness.

The political changes experienced nowadays by the Arab community assumes that we tend to shift our focus on supporting the democratic political trends that will help us tackle any obstacles that we face.
Instead, we have to focus on:

1 - Creating a set of political and legal rules that organize political life as values through which individual personalities should be formed.

2 - Supporting representative institutions through the development of programs designed to provide guidance and technical assistance in the field of parliamentary political work.

3 - Developing human rights and citizenship as law and not simply political talk. Implementation should be equal for citizens and political elites, who should be especially committed and refined when dealing with citizens and among themselves. Democracy cannot be developed unless the law is the foundation of society. Rule of law does not mean that all institutions and organizations should be subject to a basic law “constitution” that organizes the political life and relations between rulers and citizens, but the independence of the judiciary in decisions and judgments and the clarity of texts of law and its goals for all citizens must be ensured without any social´-or-economic exceptions.

4 - Emphasizing the role of citizens through the positive linking of political procedures and democratic applications. In other words, this effectiveness is reflected in the citizens’ desire to influence political processes within the regime, not through elections but through the freedom of criticism and demanding accountability to their representatives and leaders.

In conclusion, the process of democracy and its success needs a focus on democratic education.

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