The Failure of Deliberative Democracy in the Arab World: An Analytical Approach

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze the failure of deliberative democracy and clarify the reality of democracy in the Arab World and the determinants which hinder its realization. The importance of this study stems from the wide range of cases of failure to implement democracy that the Arab World has witnessed. The researcher reviews the concept of deliberative democracy, its basic structures, and its link to political practice and the expansion of democracy. Hypotheses were formed in line with the research objectives. The research concluded that deliberative democracy in the Arab World is far from being a reality. This situation stems from the inability to implement real democracy in the region to launch deliberative democracy. Revising this situation would require changes in the intellectual and practice systems as well as in the structures and institutions. Also, it requires creating a constitutional and legal framework, a real institutional vehicle for political participation, an expansion of citizen participation, and dissemination of the deliberative approach among citizens at least at the local level. These changes would lead to the rise of deliberative democracy for public on the grounds that deliberative democracy does not emerge except within the framework of a democratic government that respects human rights.