The Middle East and North Africa

Despite the pro-democracy upheavals in the region and improvement in the region’s average

democracy score in 2011, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) remains the most repressive region

in the world—15 out of 20 countries in the region are categorised as authoritarian. Only in Tunisia has

the Arab spring thus far resulted in significant democratisation, although some progress has been

recorded in Egypt, Libya and a few Gulf states. Elsewhere there has even been regression in reaction to

popular protests—notably in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen.

Almost all governments in the region continue to restrict political freedoms. Prior to the Arab spring

there was some limited political reform in the region in recent years, including the establishment

of representative assemblies in several Gulf states. But these reforms have certainly not changed

fundamentally the political system in these states, in which the executive branch still dominates and is

unaccountable.

Enormous oil rents are the means by which governments in the region have entrenched autocratic

rule. Rulers can finance far-reaching patronage networks and security apparatuses. Oil revenue

removes the need to levy taxes, thereby reducing accountability. Civil society is very weak throughout

most of the region.

In Egypt the continuing protests reflect dissatisfaction with the political dividends of the overthrow

of the regime of Hosni Mubarak, respectively; suspicion about the intentions of the military, Islamist

groups and surviving former regime elements; and deepening concern about economic conditions.

The Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) has performed a remarkable feat (with significant

external help) in ousting Colonel Muammar Qadhafi and setting up an interim government, but faces a

monumental task in building new state structures on treacherous foundations. Elsewhere, the uprising

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