By Dr Ioannis N. Grigoriadis
Although the number of democratic states has risen considerably in recent years, democracy has by no means dominated the sphere of world politics. This point is particularly valid in the Middle East. This region has remained the least affected by the waves of democratization which have reshaped world politics since the end of the Second World War. The Middle East has become a bulwark of authoritarianism, conflict and instability and a breeding ground for terrorism. The recent US military adventure in Iraq, which was touted as the harbinger of democratization in the region, only made things worse. Under these adverse circumstances, the question of how to promote democratic reform in the region remains imperative.

The reform agenda

The European Union is among the global actors engaged in the promotion of democratization in the Middle East. Under the umbrella of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), democratization has become one of the primary strategic objectives of the Union. Yet despite all good intentions, what is missing is robust engagement with domestic political actors willing to support the reform process. A recent volume edited by Muriel Asseburg ― Moderate Islamisten als Reformakteure: Rahmenbedingungen und Programmatischer Wandel (Berlin: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, 2007) ― addresses the role of a potential key reform actor in the region. Moderate Islamic political parties have emerged powerful in several Middle Eastern states and attracted global attention due to their reformist political agenda. Asseburg’s edited volume focuses on the cases of Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt and the Palestinian Territories. It examines the priorities of moderate Islamic parties and the formation of their reform agenda and explores how these parties are transformed when they gain stakes in the political process, either through parliamentary participation or through government rule. It also scrutinizes the question of whether the integration of Islamists contributes to the stabilization of authoritarianism or paves the way for a more pluralistic, democratic political system.

In the volume, it is argued that while moderate Islamic parties usually adopt conservative positions on social issues, they generally support the reform of the political system in the direction of democratization. Battling corruption, improving political participation, establishing or consolidating the rule of law and protecting fundamental human rights are some of the issues which have formed the core political agenda of several moderate Islamic parties. The increasing influence of liberal democratic political values on the political programs of these parties has been an encouraging domestic political signal regarding the prospects of democratization.

The AKP & the EU

The case of Turkey is characteristic in that respect. The Justice and Development Party (AKP), a moderate Islamic party which came to power in November 2002, has linked its name with the most profound democratization reform program since the introduction of multiparty politics in 1946. This added to the legitimacy of Turkish political Islam and stabilized the rule of the AKP government. The fact that a party from the periphery of Turkish society with Islamic political origins turned out ― in view of Turkey’s prospective EU membership ― to contribute to Turkey’s democratization more than the Kemalist guardian elites of Turkey’s Western orientation is both an historical irony and evidence of the transformative ability of European political institutions.

The process of transition

The motives of these parties are often doubted by some political analysts. They argue that the commitment of these parties to liberal democratic principles may be thin and of a purely instrumentalist nature. In other words, they may use the rules of the democratic game to ascend to power, but there is no guarantee that they will continue to play by them when they are established. The fear that the hidden Islamist agenda of moderate Islamic parties may emerge as soon as they gain control of their respective states haunts many European political actors and local secular liberal groups. Although these fears may not be completely unrealistic, the experience of recent years has shown that Islamic political parties that have entered the democratic political game by participating in the parliament or the government have tended to moderate their political agenda and adopt more circumspect positions on relations between Islam and the state rather than attempt to precipitate an Islamist takeover. In any case, a process of transition from authoritarianism to democracy cannot be risk-free; many threats may be lurking along the way, and Islamism is just one among them. Adopting such views precludes the possibility that these parties may be influenced by liberal democratic values and form a synthesis similar to the Christian democratic synthesis, which has become an enduring theme of numerous Western European political systems.

The EU & the Middle East

The volume comes up with a set of recommendations for the improvement of EU democratization promotion policies in the Middle East. The European Union should aim at the improvement of legal and political institutions that set the framework for the participation of Islamic and non-Islamic actors in the political process. The lifting of states of emergency and the improvement of legislation pertaining to fundamental human rights and political rights are essential for the promotion of domestic political pluralism. Assisting in the organization of free and fair elections and cooperating with democratically elected governments is also of major significance. Finally, European institutions are called upon to establish links with the civil society of Middle Eastern states. Even though the majority of civil society organizations may be of Islamist political orientation, this should not deter European engagement.

The aim of this would be the establishment of a dialogue between domestic Islamist and secular actors and European political institutions. Such initiatives could contribute to the elimination of stereotypes and to the better understanding and cooperation of all parties. It is impossible to achieve political liberalization and democratic consolidation without engaging the political forces which have the biggest popular support and often comprise the only alternative form of political organization to authoritarian regimes. The example of Turkey’s AKP can serve as a useful guideline in engaging other Islamic political movements.

European institutions need to devise the appropriate sticks and carrots for each state, which will facilitate a reconceptualization of Islamic political identity along liberal democratic lines and the transformation of democratization from an elite issue to a cause that the masses can endorse. Imbuing political Islam with liberal democratic norms is a difficult but not chimerical target for European political institutions. Asseburg’s edited volume provides useful advice in that direction.