Democracy in the Arab World

Columnist Diane West is pessimistic about the success of democracy in the Arab world. Citing recent examples in Iraq, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority, she worries that electoral freedom has failed to transfom the Middle East as intended, because majority votes have primarily supported Islamist parties. Secular candidates have not fared well, and in Ms. West's opinion, America's efforts to promote democracy have seemingly worked against us.

These ballot results may indeed seem daunting, but I must respectfully disagree with Ms. West's conclusion. Regardless of who wins the elections, as long as the democratic process itself is safeguarded (something the U.S. is ensuring in Iraq) I believe things will eventually tilt in America's favor.

No matter which party holds power, democracy dictates that a nation's government is responsible to the people. If the government fails to act in public interest, the citizens can always vote it out of office. So even if Islamist parties assume power, they won't stay there unless they improve people's lives. And given Islamist regimes' propensity to achieve only widespread misery (Afghanistan and Iran are the two primary examples), their tenures will likely be short unless they drop the Islamist platform.

This democratic principle, in fact, rather than support for fundamendalist Islam itself, is why I believe the Islamist parties have been so successful in Iraq, Egypt, and among the PA. Recent secular rulers (Hussein, Mubarak, and Abbas) have spectacularly failed to improve their people's lots, so naturally voters have chosen the opposition. Just the same, if the Islamist parties don't deliver (which they almost certainly won't), they too will be consigned to the ballot dustbin.

It may take several voter cycles, but as long as electoral freedom remains, well-functioning parties should eventually emerge in all of these governments. And history tells us that in Muslim-majority democracies (Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and recently Afghanistan), only secular-leaning parties end up fitting the bill.

Egypt, of course, is no real democracy (Mubarak still retains full control), but among Iraq and the PA, free elections should soon produce leaders more attuned with U.S. interests. Once again, the key is to maintain the democratic process, and as long as America continues to accomplish this, we should expect gradually favorable election results.