(Current History/FrontPageMagazine) Joshua Muravchik - There are 22 Arab countries. Of the world's 170 other governments, 121, or 71%, are elected. The number of Arab countries with freely elected governments: zero. Nine (20%) of the predominantly Muslim countries have elected governments - Turkey, Albania, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Niger, and Djibouti - proving that democracy is possible in a majority Muslim country. In the past 30 years, the proportion of states ruled by governments elected (in meaningful, competitive elections) by their citizens has gone from less than one-third to nearly two-thirds. Democracy, or at least its rudiments, has suddenly become the norm - a norm that one day will extend to the Arab world.
2004-01-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive