ABSTRACT

In 1989 Arabs and Muslims watched the collapse of the Berlin Wall with joy and envy. While they celebrated cheerfully with the world an end to the agonizing Cold War, they envied the German people for their triumph in uniting their homeland. The echo of the collapse of the wall led to a wave of democratization that swept Eastern and Central Europe. Like dominos, communist regimes fell one by one. Arabs watched this indescribable transformation with cautious optimism, hoping to be part of the ‘third wave of democratization’. 1 The nationalist, patriotic and Islamic democratic forces looked up to the West hoping for support, but their hopes were in vain. It soon became clear that external support was unfeasible, and the autocratic ruling elites across the Arab Middle East resisted any significant political change, cracked down on democratic forces and, unwilling to share power, enhanced their grip as never before. Thus far, the West has shown no serious commitment to reform or democracy in the region as it believes that its interests are best served with authoritarianism rather than democracy.