Culture and (Un)Democratization: The Myth of “Middle East Exceptionalism”

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to argue against the notion of “Middle East Exceptionalism”—the belief that the political culture of Middle Eastern people does not support democracy. The first part of this paper elaborates on Middle Eastern political culture deriving from Islam and tribal culture while the last two parts explain why such a notion can at best be a myth. The true cause of the undemocratic Middle East is portrayed in the second part which emphasizes the role of elites within the region who try to maintain their authoritarian power by using various methods and mechanisms. The last part of this paper explores one of the most important pieces of evidence showing that the political culture of Middle Eastern people is not the culprit for the region being undemocratic. That evidence is “Arab Spring” in which people in the Middle East showed their desires for political rights and freedom and their willingness to fight for them.