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Why Democracy Stalled in the Middle East

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Why Democracy Stalled in the Middle East

Economic Despair and the Triumph of the China Model

Foreign Affairs,

5 min read
3 take-aways
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What's inside?

Worsening economic conditions in the Middle East cast doubt on the idea that democracy drives growth.

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9

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Recommendation

Democracy and economic opportunity appear to be inversely correlated in the Middle East, according to this intriguing analysis from regional experts Amaney A. Jamal and Michael Robbins. They note that the 2011 Arab Spring was as much about the need for economic improvement as for political freedom. But in the years since, the economies of those countries in which democracy progressed have faltered, but where autocracy has succeeded, economic grievances have abated. The authors conclude that, in the Middle East, economic change must accompany political reform.

Summary

Many in the Middle East saw the Arab Spring of 2011 as a turning point in the region’s geopolitics.

The Arab Spring – in which protesters militated not only for democratic but also economic reforms – appeared to mark a watershed in the region’s history. But even as autocratic regimes took back power in its wake, many continued to believe that positive changes were in the offing.

Today, the Middle East still suffers high unemployment, widening inequality and pervasive corruption, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. IMF and World Bank estimates portray tens of millions of people as being in dire economic...

About the Authors

Amaney A. Jamal is a co-founder of Arab Barometer, a research group, and the dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Michael Robbins is the director and co-principal investigator at Arab Barometer.

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