Challenges to the democratic process in Mina

Dr. Yousef Mohammed
There is no doubt that there is a clear and significant setback in the democratic process in large parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. It must be admitted that the counter-revolutionaries were able to undo the gains of the Arab Spring in most of the countries that the peoples of the region were able to achieve by defeating the authoritarian regimes.
First of all, we must note that when we talk about the challenges of democracy in this region, we are concerned with two independent variables: the democratic process and the Middle East and North Africa as a complex geographical region with common political, social and economic characteristics.
First, the struggle for democracy
Regarding the struggle for the consolidation of democratic principles, we can make a quick remark:
1. Democracy as a Dynamic Process:
Democracy is a dynamic, not a static, process. Even in the most democratic countries, there can be no guarantee that there will be no threat to democratic institutions, as happened in the United States in late 2020 and early 2021. “Former Congressman John Lewis wrote before his death: ‘Democracy is not stable but actionable,'” Vice President Kamala Harris said in Joe Biden’s November 2020 presidential victory speech Therefore, the struggle to establish the principles of democracy is a continuous struggle.
2. Democratic progress and comprehensive development:
The path of democratic progress depends on progress and development at all political, social, economic and cultural levels. For example, true democracy cannot be assumed without a market economy, or under the shadow of a wage economy. Therefore, the transition to true democracy requires change at all these levels.
3. Local struggle and international support:
The struggle for democracy must be seen primarily as a domestic struggle. Therefore, regardless of the ability, strength and degree of external support, our fate and the fate of the peoples of the region at home and respect and independence abroad depend on the establishment of a genuinely stable democratic system. At the same time, the support of the international community can support and help accelerate the transition to democracy, but this does not appear to be a priority for democracies, especially in the United States

Second, the turmoil in the Middle East
It is no secret that the Middle East and North Africa is a complex and important region for the whole world, and many regional and global variables and characters are constantly interacting in addition to domestic variables. Regarding the situation of democracy, rights and freedoms in many countries in the region, we can record the following comments:
The return of the counter-revolutionaries to power:
The dominance of a certain ideological orientation over the outcomes of the Arab Spring due to the division and weakness of liberal and civil movements, the confusion of power struggles with regional and international geostrategic intersections, bloody conflict and spread of chaos The reason for the success of the counter-revolutionaries is to return to power and to suppress freedoms and rights more severely and terribly than in the past under the pretext of imposing stability and avoiding chaos and terrorism.
The effects of bloody wars and conflicts:
Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa are currently going through an atmosphere of conflict and war. The impact of these conflicts on the process of transition to democracy in the region cannot be ignored. Authoritarian regimes exploit these conflicts to restrict freedoms under the pretext of external threats. At the same time, the horror of the tragedy and human genocide in Gaza encourages hatred and extremism, disgust of the West and equating democratic values with the disgusting phenomena of the West, especially considering the negative attitude of some Western countries The persisters in them. Some international powers are also trying to further consolidate this image for Western countries with the aim of expanding their influence, advancing their governance models and consolidating their geostrategic projects in Asia and Africa.
Challenges and Hopes:
The struggle for democracy in the region faces many obstacles, but considering the struggle of nations for their rights, it becomes clear that this is normal and the struggle of nations has crossed many ups and downs in this regard. At the same time, there is no other way but for all the democratic forces in the region to gather around each other and support each other. There are many encouraging and promising variables, such as an increase in the proportion of young people who are educated and aware of global changes due to expanding access to information. This is in addition to the continuous failure of the authoritarian regimes to govern and suppress dissident voices.
At the same time, the establishment of a stable democratic system in the region is in the common interest of the peoples of the region with Western countries in many areas, such as controlling illegal immigration and combating extremism and violence. Democratic systems must support civil movements rather than form alliances with undemocratic and centralist authoritarian regimes
Some of the above was discussed in a series of meetings and workshops held late last month and early this month by Zašto Ne and the World Movement for Democracy, in collaboration with the US National Endowment for Democracy 110 civil society leaders and democracy activists from the Middle East and North Africa and 40 democracy experts and civil society organizations from around the world participated in the conference. I would like to mention some relevant aspects of the meeting in this article for the purpose of general information.
As we have already mentioned, the democratic process in the Middle East and North Africa has faced major challenges in recent years. On the one hand, counter-revolutions in all the countries covered by the Arab Spring have reproduced another form of authoritarian regimes. At the same time, the intensification of international conflicts and the outbreak of bloody wars such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, has provided an opportunity for the authoritarian regimes to play among the world powers and escape accountability. Therefore, the holding of this international meeting at this sensitive time in the history of the region and the world was important to discuss the problems and challenges and how to deal with them, and planning to organize and network the work of civil and democratic movements in the region.
The workshops and meetings began by remembering and paying tribute to a number of martyrs in the field of freedom and the pen and prisoners in the field of rights and freedoms.
During the three days of workshops, heated discussions were held on: how to achieve achievements despite the setbacks, return to politics in the midst of continuous conflict with oppressive regimes, strategies to defend public freedoms during surveillance, harassment and imprisonment Winning the War of Narratives, Strengthening Cooperation between Independent Media and Civil Society Organizations, The Role of Women and Youth in All these Issues and How to Educate the New Generation, Using New Technology in Civil Work, Economic and Political Relations Other items.
As mentioned earlier, the meeting was held in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to its important location in the heart of the Baltic States, Bosnia is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country, especially Muslim, Croat Catholic and Orthodox Serb. Between 1992 and 1995, Bosnia suffered a bloody civil war that resulted in genocide of Bosnian Muslims. But the war ended in 1995 with the Dayton Agreement
A federal system was established in which the three communities ruled the country in compromise.
Unfortunately, the federal system and compromise have changed to fragmentation, and as a result, corruption is wasting some of Bosnia’s wealth. Nevertheless, Bosnia has been rebuilt, and although bullet traces are still visible in some buildings, the ancient city of Sarajevo, its ancient and economic part, has been rebuilt in the most beautiful way. Bosnians are now trying to overcome the pain of the past and deepen their coexistence, gaining international support and are on the path to EU membership. However, they have tried to document war crimes. One of the agenda items was to visit some of the organizations and museums in Sarajevo. I chose the Children’s Museum for War, which was very meaningful and effective despite its simplicity. For example, one child donated his father’s bones to the museum and wrote: “Before my father was kidnapped and killed, he always took me skiing because we both liked him very much.
Finally, Zasto Ne (Why Not!?), a local Bosnian organization, with the assistance of the World Movement for Democracy and the American National Endowment for Democracy (NED), demonstrated a high level of organization that I have never seen anywhere else Something to do in the future.
resources:
[1] . See the text of his speech at this link:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/07/kamala-harris-victory-speech-transcript/

[2] .https://https://zastone.ba/

[3] .https:/https://www.movedemocracy.org/

[4] .https://www.ned.org

[5] .https://warchildhood.org/