ABSTRACT
The democratic revolution in several Arab countries that was initiated in late 2010 may be interpreted as a rational reaction to the process of decline that the Arab countries face in the period of globalization. This has been especially severe for those Arab countries that lack the economic rent that lifted the Gulf states out of poverty. Actually, the debate about a profound lack of modernization in the Arab world may be traced back to the nineteenth century, when many Arab scholars, writers and politicians stated that the Arab world must accept modernity and its institutions in order to keep up with other civilizations, especially that of the Europeans.
