Political systems in the Middle East

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Political systems in the Middle East

• An overview

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Some working definitions

• Democratic regime
• Leadership Key decision-makers elected through
  fair and regular elections
• Civil liberties robust protection for citizens
• Authoritarian regime
• Key political leadership gains power through
  means other than fair and regular elections
  (consolidation of authority).
• Little protection for citizens civil liberties
  (little tolerance of opposition)
• Two main types Republics and monarchies

Note that many authoritarian regimes have the
institutional trappings of democracy
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Regime classifications in the MENA using
traditional schema
Democratic systems
Authoritarian systems
Turkey Israel Lebanon (Iraq)
Republics
Monarchies
Algeria Egypt Syria Yemen Tunisia Libya Iran
Oman UAE Kuwait Jordan Qatar Saudi Arabia Morocco
(Palestinian Auth.)
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Freedom in 2009
Free
Partly Free
Not Free
Israel
Turkey Yemen Lebanon Bahrain Jordan Kuwait Morocco
UAE Libya Egypt Iraq Iran Algeria Tunisia Qatar Om
an Syria Palestinian Auth. Saudi Arabia
As measured by Freedom House in two main areas
political representation and civil liberties.
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Complicating the categories some points to
remember
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• The categories dont tell the whole story (or
  even most of it)
• (They are ideal types)

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A. Democracies but not fully

• Israel
• EIU flawed democracy (faulted for civil
  liberties 5.29 out of 10)
• Influence of the military religious authorities
  in politics, treatment of non-Jewish citizens and
  secular populations
• Turkey
• EIU hybrid regime (faulted for political
  participation, political culture, civil
  liberties)
• Influence of military in politics (changing?),
  treatment of dissidents, especially Kurds
• Lebanon
• EIU hybrid regime (faulted for functioning of
  government)
• Consociation system and problems with the
  National Pact
• Influence of Syria
• The civil war, 1975-1991

EIU Economist Intelligence Units Democracy
Index 2008.
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B. Republics or monarchies? (family-run
regimes)
Gamal Mubarak, the next president of Egypt?
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria
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C. Some monarchies have (often troublesome)
parliaments
Jordan
King (Abdullah II) Can dissolve Parliament Rule
by decree Appoint PM Approve Legislation
Parliament 40-person Senate (appointed) 80-person
chamber of deputies (universal suffrage)
Prime Minister Council of Ministers (appointed
by king)
Hashemite Family
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Other monarchies

• Kuwait
• Al-Sabah Family (emir), 50-member National
  Assembly
• Limited popular vote (only about 15 percent of
  Kuwaits 900,000 citizens)
• Bahrain
• Al-Khalifa family (Sunni minority)
• National Assembly since 2002
• Morocco
• Alaouite Dynasty and ruling family
• Two-chamber Parliament (with real powers)

King Mohammad VI of Morocco
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D. Where to put Iran? A dualistic system
President 4-year terms (max. 2)
Supreme Leader (faqih/rahbar)
Cabinet

• Council of Guardians
• 12 members
• Can veto Majlis legislation

Expediency Council (mediates disputes between
Majlis Guardian Council)

• Parliament
• (Majlis)
• Elected every 4 years
• 293 members

Assembly of Experts 86 clerics
Security Forces
Electorate
Judiciary
The Iranian Constitution was first passed in
1979 and revised in 1989. In addition, some of
the government institutions presented here were
created after 1982. This slide presents the
current (2008) structure of the government.
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E. What about women?
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• The time factor in most cases these regime types
  are recent

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Regime categorizations in the MENA in earlier
years
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MENA regimes in earlier years, a sampling
Some of Iraqs earlier leaders
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Regimes in earlier years
Turkey authoritarian one-party state, 1923-late
1940s
Egypt constitutional monarchy, 1923-1952
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3. The importance of external players and forces
in shaping regime type

• Colonialism and imperialism
• U.S. and European interventions
• Cold War and Gulf Wars
• Israel (and the Lebanon wars)
• Arab nationalism and Egypt
• The European Union

Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq in his
1953 trial, which took place after the
CIA-assisted coup.
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4. Who are the real political players (and how
do they operate)? Comparisons and similarities
across regime types

• The military
• Religious groups and movements
• Social players (tribes, clans, families,
  landlords, ethnic groups, etc)
• External players (the U.S., Israel, Syria, al
  Qaida, etc)

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Nonetheless, some big questions

• Why so many monarchies?
• Why so little democracy?
• How to understand the role(s) of women in
  politics and power?
• The power and limitations of religion in politics
• Technology and the power (and limitations) of
  ordinary people.
• How are ordinary people shaping politics in ways
  we do not necessarily see?