Arabs and Democracy: The Awakening of Civil Society

Issue Date July 2000
Volume 11
Issue 3
Page Numbers 84-90
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While despotic Arab regimes may seem stable, change is brewing beneath the surface. A new era is emerging in which the state will be forced to retreat before a vibrant civil society.

About the Author

Laith Kubba, a native of Baghdad, is senior director for the Middle East and North Africa at the National Endowment for Democracy. From May 2005 to March 2006, he was chief press spokesperson for Iraq’s Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaffari.

View all work by Laith Kubba

Further Reading

Volume 24, Issue 4

Tracking the “Arab Spring”: Syria and the Future of Authoritarianism

The Assad regime has been adapting to the new challenges posed by mass uprisings through a process of “authoritarian learning,” and at least some of its methods are being applied elsewhere…

Volume 15, Issue 4

Debate: Arab, Not Muslim, Exceptionalism

Muslim-majority, non-Arab countries are “overachievers” at electoral competitiveness. Arab countries, by contrast, constitute a distinctive political community that at present is inhospitable to competitive elections.

Volume 16, Issue 4

Iran’s Peculiar Election: The Struggle Against Sultanism

Given the unaccountable authority of the supreme leader, the Islamic Republic should be classified as a sultanistic regime. In such regimes, democratic change is more likely to come from nonviolent…