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Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA)

Strategic Alliances for a Secure, Connected, and Prosperous Region
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Author: David Govrin

David Govrin has served in Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1989. He was formerly First Secretary of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and Political Counselor of the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in New York.
The Quest for Democratic Political Reforms in the Middle East and the Prevailing Arab Political Culture

The Quest for Democratic Political Reforms in the Middle East and the Prevailing Arab Political Culture

March 1, 2005 | David Govrin
President Bush's perception of democracy as being at the forefront of American foreign policy is a change from the traditional U.S. policy in the Middle East of realpolitik - supporting the stability of friendly leaders no matter how autocratic they are. The fundamental political culture of Muslim Arab societies is based on the unquestionable sovereignty of God, and democracy and popular sovereignty, in its Western sense, appear to be contrary to this concept.