Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
The state has passed through several historical transformations to reach its present form, from primitive to pastoral society, then traditional agricultural society, to the current modern state. The modern state has also passed through several processes, including the building of armies, forming administrative systems, creating educational systems, offering modern production and services, capitalist changes, creating the bourgeoisie and new social links, and founding unions, federations and organisations. All these processes lead to the creation of the civil society and its institutions.
Stig Stenslie and Kjetil Selvik refer in their book, Stability and Change in the Modern Middle East, to four problems between Middle Eastern states and their institutions:
First, a state that monopolises wealth and controls distribution of wealth, and controls the economy and undermines any real or potential competition in this regard.
Second, the control of ruling families over state institutions, having created mechanisms for controlling internal conflict.
Third, strong foreign allies who have an interest in the continuity of these regimes, such as the United States, Russia and Europe.
Fourth, the absence of supervision and balance between powers, which make it easy for one ruler to control the army and bureaucracy, which at the end makes loyalty to the ruler more important than loyalty to the state.
The crisis of the state in the Arab world is that it has not moved forward on the course of democracy and development, as Laith Zaidan says. It has continued to belong to a pre-bourgeoisie world, adopting a kind of patriarchal power for its life.
The Arab state created the totalitarian national state, which was a mere extension of eastern despotism, turning into a tool for suppressing social expressions that challenge it. It considers itself the conclusive representative of society, viewing whoever opposes it as one who opposes the ultimate interests of the society. This is why the state has used its totalitarian ideology to suppress the freedom of society and its right to express different points of view.
The state has used national and religious ideologies for propaganda and political mobilisation in support of ruling regimes. It continues to play the same role, but in different ways according to the nature of ruling system in each state. This continues to happen even after the Arab Spring revolutions.
The state has passed through several historical transformations to reach its present form, from primitive to pastoral society, then traditional agricultural society, to the current modern state. The modern state has also passed through several processes, including the building of armies, forming administrative systems, creating educational systems, offering modern production and services, capitalist changes, creating the bourgeoisie and new social links, and founding unions, federations and organisations. All these processes lead to the creation of the civil society and its institutions.
Stig Stenslie and Kjetil Selvik refer in their book, Stability and Change in the Modern Middle East, to four problems between Middle Eastern states and their institutions:
First, a state that monopolises wealth and controls distribution of wealth, and controls the economy and undermines any real or potential competition in this regard.
Second, the control of ruling families over state institutions, having created mechanisms for controlling internal conflict.
Third, strong foreign allies who have an interest in the continuity of these regimes, such as the United States, Russia and Europe.
Fourth, the absence of supervision and balance between powers, which make it easy for one ruler to control the army and bureaucracy, which at the end makes loyalty to the ruler more important than loyalty to the state.
The crisis of the state in the Arab world is that it has not moved forward on the course of democracy and development, as Laith Zaidan says. It has continued to belong to a pre-bourgeoisie world, adopting a kind of patriarchal power for its life.
The Arab state created the totalitarian national state, which was a mere extension of eastern despotism, turning into a tool for suppressing social expressions that challenge it. It considers itself the conclusive representative of society, viewing whoever opposes it as one who opposes the ultimate interests of the society. This is why the state has used its totalitarian ideology to suppress the freedom of society and its right to express different points of view.
The state has used national and religious ideologies for propaganda and political mobilisation in support of ruling regimes. It continues to play the same role, but in different ways according to the nature of ruling system in each state. This continues to happen even after the Arab Spring revolutions.
