استثنابودن خاورميانه در گذار به دموكراسي؛ افسانه يا واقعيت؟

Middle East Exceptionalism: Myth or Reality?

Considering diversity and differences found among the Middle Eastern nations, this paper seeks to apply three criteria including social structures, international constraints and opportunities at the hands of the countries, and the type of resources at the disposal of governments in order to examine the obstacles to and problems of transition to democracy. Dealing with such criteria in detail, the author notes that various patterns of political development can be seen in the region. Hence, although transition to democracy in the Middle East proves difficult, democratization process in the region has been just slower and more erratic than other regions of the world. One of the conclusions of this argument is that the emphasis some theories put on the Middle East exceptionalism and its inconsistency with the general patterns of transition to democracy is untrue.