If you may recall, we read an article at the beginning of this semester called, “There is no Easy Path to Democracy” by Martin Wolf. In this article, Wolf discusses the underpinnings of a stable democracy. Wolf states, “The brief answer is that a democracy requires a double set of restraints: among the people and between the people and the state. These restraints rest on four features, all of them necessary.” Wolf was providing a response to the question of what the underpinnings of a stable and successful democracy are.
• First, Wolf mentions that a democracy needs citizens. Wolf declares that, “Citizens are not only people who engage in public life, though they are also that. Above all, citizens accept that their loyalty to the processes they share must override loyalty to their own political side. Citizens understand the idea of a “loyal opposition”. They accept the legitimacy of government run by and even for their opponents, confident that they may have their own turn in time. Citizens, it follows, do not use the political process to destroy the ability of their opponents to operate in peace. They accept the legitimacy of dissent and even vociferous protest. They rule out only the use of force.”
• Second, Wolf mentions that a democracy needs
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Wolf has used Egypt an example of where democracy has failed to come to fruition. What are seemingly simple concepts and suggestions for democracy are actually quite complex. Although, it has been done before and over time more countries have become democratic (albeit some democracies are flawed). So what does this mean for the Muslim world? Well, there’s no certain or concrete answer for every country, as their histories and regimes will shift and vary over the years. However, in cases such as Senegal and Tunisia, there is hope that some countries may be able to establish a democratic system in the