dont shout
ThanksIs it true that Israel is the only democracy in the middle east?
as we would define a legitimate democracy ....yes it is.Is it true that Israel is the only democracy in the middle east?
Depends on what you define as democracy.
Israel is probably the closest to our system.
Other countries have elections, but in some cases women are not allowed to vote, or no political parties are allowed, or as in Syria only the Ba'ath Party is allowed, or as in Iran a committee loyal to the President is able to prevent opposition candidates from standing........but they all have some form of elections, so in one sense are democracies.
If you broaden your area to include India and Pakistan, then India has a very good democratic system (it is called the largest democracy in the world because of its population size), and Pakistan sort-of is a democracy (elections tomorrow), but following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto cannot really be called a democracy, particularly as the Army have a habit of overthrowing any government they don't like.
Well I for one always class Turkey as part of the Middle east and it is a democracy. Most of it is on the middle eastern side of the Bosporus straits so I do think it is part of the Middle east.
Are you sure that Israel is a democracy in the true meaning of the word,I don't think they have a very free press.
Lebanon is now a somewhat healthy democracy, but large portions of the country are still overrun with terrorists (Hezbollah).
Currently, yes. The others (Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) are developing to be democracies, but that haven't yet reach that level.
Israel has been a democracy since it was founded in the late 1940's. In Israel everyone can vote, men, women, jews, arabs, christians...so its pretty fair.
Turkey is also a democracy.
Until VERY recently ALL other countries in the area were dictatorships.
However now Lebanon has a young democracy - technically people are now free to vote for who they like. The problem is that Lebanon is split three ways, Maronite Christians, Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. The Shia support the Islamic Terrorists of Hezbollah, who are trying to destroy Lebanese democracy.
Syria - Syria is NOT a religious country, it is Baathist. Baathism is a neo fascist political movement. So women are not allowed to vote any more than men are, its a dictatorship. But Islamic fundamentalism plays no part within Syria.
Iraq now has a new democracy for the first time. Technically everyone can vote, including women. Mr Blobby is WRONG, the USA played no part in influencing Iraqi elections, and im Iraqi. He's also wrong about Pakistan, mainly because it is NOT in the mid east!
However in the north of Iraq, the Kurds stole hundreds of thousands of voting papers from Assyrian Christians, Armenians, Turcoman, Shabaks and Arabs, thus preventing them voting.
In the South Al Qaeda and the Al Mahdi army are trying to disrupt democracy, particularly targeting Christians and Women.
Saudi Arabia,Algeria, Jordan Iran, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, Yemen etc are all pretty much dictatorships.....women dont vote in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait etc.
The problem is often Islam, its not in line with Democratic values, and tries to surpress it. As islam is a POLITICAL movement as well as a religion, it makes democracy hard to implement.
Hope all this helps.
EDIT - Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh etc are NOT MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES as some are saying. The mid east stretches from The Mediteranean coasts of Lebanon, Israel, Turkey and Syria in the west to the eastern border of Iran, in the East, and From the Turkish border with Armenia in the north, to Yemen at the bottom of rabia in the south!
well recently Afghanastan and Iraq have been turnt into democracies.. but other than that I know Saudi Arabia is under kingship... and Syria something similar not sure about palestine or lebonon Pakistan i think is democratic
pakistan technically isnt in the middle east (its in south asia) but is a democracy (to some extent)
iraq and afghanistan are now democracies too (to some extent.)
Israel is the only threat to peace in the middle east.
Israel is the only secular democracy, but Turkey is also a democratic state too.
In Israel everyone, Jews, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, B'hai, all can worship as they please, all have equal rights and opportunities.
Consider this: there are some two million Israeli Arabs living and working in Israel - they are all citizens, they all vote, they have Arab representatives in the Knesset, the parliament.
If, as some people untruthfully claim, Israel is NOT democratic, how could there be Arabs in parliament, helping to make policy etc?
And why haven't these millions of Israeli Arabs left, if it's so 'terrible' there? Why haven't they moved to any one of the surrounding Arab nations???
Israel is a total democracy. I've lived there, and experienced it for myself.
Lots of countries in the Middle East hold elections, but only Israel is a secular democracy with a free press. Turkey is a democracy, but its secular nature is in danger.
beast me
Pakistan has not been a democracy for decades although the US backed military dictator has promised to hold, as he has before but not, elections soon. The least democratic is the US-backed extremely repressive, Islamic extremist dicatorship in Saudi Arabia.
Turkey, Lebanon, Palestine (within the US/Israeli concentration camps, electing a non-US-approved party in 2006 provoked the current round of atrocities), Jordan (dodgy but improving), Egypt (extremely dodgy), Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait can be termed democracies. Iraq cannot be termed a democracy as it is firmly under the control of the US occupiers and if democracy did break out, the US would stage another 'regime change' to protect its oil supplies which were the reason for the invasion.
The puppet plutocracy in Iraq would probably not last 5 minutes without a US presence. Whatever the political outcome of any withdrawal, the Shi'ite majority in oil-rich south Iraq would probably link up with that in oil-rich Iran and could embolden or assist those in the closest and oil-rich part of Saudi.
This would threaten the extremely repressive Islamic extremist US-backed Saudi government - jewel in the US middle east crown. They would also probably turn to China, which the US can't intimidate, not cooperate with the US international 'protection racket', and send the oil to China instead of the US.
Women can vote in some. Throughout the Middle East, there are movements toward greater democracy and emancipation held back by US interference.
(I have called Egypt 'extremely dodgy' because of blatant electoral fraud reminiscent of Dubya's first win)
You will note that Chaya's comment dates during the 2006-date US/Israeli renewed and redoubled atrocities which threw Gaza into an Auschwitz-like state.
A nobody's geography is rather shaky when she can't tell America from the Middle East, and her knowledge of Venezuelan affairs matches.
Um, I don't know, sounds likely though.
As far as I know yes. They are surrounded by all Muslim Countries, who wants to destroy them completely, but God will not allow it.
He said, ';I will pour out my wrath upon all nations who comes against my people, the Jewish people and my beloved Israel.';
Turkey is a democracy; Iraq is supposed to be a democracy, but we will see as time goes on how that works out; Lebanon is supposed to be a democracy, but Hezbollah is governing a large portion of southern Lebanon; and I believe that Jordan is partly a democracy.
sorry, I don't know about women in Syria being able to vote - interesting question.
Yes it is. Syria is not a democracy. Venezuela could vote too so they said but it was rigged. What about Iran. Don't they vote too?
Israel is the only true democracy. That is what I was taught and what I believe.
Wasn't rude, but maybe you should just look up some of the middle eastern countries you are wondering about instead of asking here. You are not bound to learn a whole lot I have found. But yes, women in Middle East countries can and do vote.
BBC News June, 2007: ';Hamas militants seized the presidential compound in Gaza City overnight after a week of factional fighting, which has left more than 100 people dead'; (1). Err, no, that's not a democracy.
Pakistan, which is [edit: according to the World Atlas is technically] in the Middle East, drifts in and out of democracy. They have another election next week to see if it is a democracy or just the illusion of democracy.
Pakistan actually elected a woman Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2002 but the president pushed her out of office on charges of corruption. She was elected again a few more times, and the same thing happened, then she went into exile. Sadly, when she courageously came out of exile and back to Pakistan last December, 2007, she was assasinated.
Turkey just joined the E.U. as a democracy a couple of years ago, so it would be the only Muslim nation that is democratic. Other than that, Israel is the most stable and longest held and secular democracy. According to the Middle East Quarterly, democracy in Turkey is ';limited'; (2):
Edit Blobby, check the dates on reference 1 - it's 2007 not 2006. Hamas leaving 100s dead is hardly US or Israeli atrocities, and sure is neither democratic nor humane. Nice try turning the tables, but no cigar.
well you`ll be happy to hear, Hamas is the democratically elected authority in Gaza, by the people of Gaza
(but not the right type of democracy for israel or the US.....oooh the smell of hypocracy is over whelming.....)
Israel isn't a democracy; its America's local agent in the Middle East Oil Grabbing and Arms Trading businesses.
you may have a look and judge..
http://www.radioislam.org/lebanon/jewish鈥?/a>
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