The Middle EastGovernments

❖ Parliamentary❖ Constitutional Monarchy❖ Absolute Monarchy❖ Dominant Party

Presidential Republics❖ Authoritarian State❖ Theocratic

Government Types

Democracy RatingA map of the world showing the results of The Economist's Democracy Index survey for 2012. Each

country's democracy is rated on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the most democratic and 0 being the least democratic.

Key:Full democracies: 9.00-10.00 8.00-8.99Flawed democracies: 7.00-7.99 6.00-6.99Hybrid regimes: 5.00-5.99 4.00-4.99Authoritarian regimes: 3.00-3.99 2.00-2.99 0.00-1.99

Arab Spring is a term for the revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests both nonviolent and violent, riots, and civil wars in the Arab world that began on 18 December 2010.

Possible/Probable Causes:➢ Dissatisfaction with governments

■ Human rights violations■ Corruption

➢ Wide economic gaps■ Poor living standards■ Lack of opportunity

Arab Spring

Arab Spring is a term for the revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests both nonviolent and violent, riots, and civil wars in the Arab world that began on 18 December 2010.

❖ Countries:➢ Tunisia➢ Yemen➢ Egypt➢ Jordan➢ Iraq➢ Libya➢ Bahrain➢ Syria➢ Kuwait➢ Oman➢ Algeria➢ Saudi Arabia➢ Morocco➢ Iran

Arab Spring

Arab Spring

❖ A parliamentary system is a system of democratic governance in which the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from, and is held accountable to, the legislature (parliament).

❖ The executive* (Prime Minister) and legislative branches (Parliament) are thus interconnected.

❖ In a parliamentary system, the head of state (King, Queen, or President) is normally a different person from the head of government* (Prime Minister).

❖ Parliamentary democracy: The people elect a Parliament, which in turn elects the Prime Minister.

★ Israel❖ Presidential parliamentary democracy: The Parliament

elects the President (head of state), who appointsthe Prime Minister.

★ Turkey Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Parliamentary

❖ Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch (King or Queen) acts as head of state within the guidelines of a constitution.

❖ Differs from absolute monarchy in which an absolute monarch serves as the source of power in the state.

❖ Constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the monarch may have strictly ceremonial duties.

➢ Bahrain➢ Jordan➢ Morocco➢ Kuwait Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

King of Bahrain

Constitutional Monarchy

❖ Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch (King or Queen) has ABSOLUTE power among his people.

❖ An absolute monarch wields unrestricted political power over the sovereign state and its people.

❖ Absolute monarchies are often hereditary but other means of transmission of power are attested.

➢ Saudi ArabiaThe country is ruled by a King who is a memberof the Al Sa’udroyal family.

Absolute Monarchy

Dominant Party Presidential Republics

❖ Definitions:❖ A republic is a form of government in which power is held by the people and the

representatives they elect, and affairs of state are a "public matter."❖ A presidential system is a republican system of government where a

head of government is also head of state and leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch.

❖ Dominant party (military-dominated) where the government is controlled by a single political party, but opposing parties exist.➢ Does a dominant party system sound presidential or like a republic?

★ Syria○ The Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party,which leads Syria,

retains its power largely through control of the country’s military.

○ Bashar Hafez al-Assad is the President of Syria, General Secretary of the Ba'ath Party and Regional Secretary of the party's branch in Syria.

❖ One ruler or a small group of leaders have the real power in authoritarian political systems.

❖ Authoritarian governments may hold elections and they may have contact with their citizens, but citizens DO NOT have any voice in how they are ruled.

❖ Their leaders do not give their subjects free choice. Instead, they decide what the people can or cannot have.

❖ Citizens are subjects who must obey, and not participants in government decisions.❖ Kings, military leaders, emperors, a small group of aristocrats, dictators, and even

presidents or prime ministers may rule authoritarian governments.★ Iraq

○ For 24 years from 1979-2003 Saddam Hussein leader of the Ba’ath party was the undisputed authoritarian ruler of Iraq

○ He was removed from power in 2003 led by a coalitionof forces led by the United States

○ The country now has a Parliamentary form of government

Authoritarian State

❖ A Theocratic Republic is a government headed by a religious leader but is not set on the people but is an elected representative of the country.

❖ The leader of this type of government usually takes the country towards religious beliefs* which is why this type of government is generally at a stand still.

* Imagine the United States being run (laws created and administered) based on the religious beliefs of one specific religion

★ Iran○ Supreme Leader (Religious):

Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI○ President: Hasan Fereidun RUHANI

Iran has been an Islamic republic since 1979, when Muslim revolutionaries overthrew the country’s constitutional monarchy led by the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

This led to the Iran hostage crisis with the United States in which 52 Americans were held captive by Iranian revolutionaries for 444 days.

In Iran, the crisis strengthened the prestige of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the political power of those who supported theocracy and opposed any normalization of relations with the West.

Theocratic