A Lebanese Political Science Professor On Democracy In The Arab World

Dr. 'Issam Sliman, a professor of political science was interviewed on the Lebanese channel NBN, during which he spoke about democracy in the Middle East. Following are excerpts from his comments, broadcast on June 9, 2004:

The Arab regimes used the Arab ? Israeli conflict and gave it precedence, in order to destroy? Any internal reform movement? the little democracy remaining in the region by using the slogan, "No voice is higher than the voice of battle." Under this slogan the regimes in all the Arab countries oppressed and suffocated the peoples of the region.

This is why we are seeing no public opinion among these peoples, and they do nothing because they suffer severe frustration. Despite what is happening in Palestine, in no Arab country does the so-called civil society do anything. Another example is what happened in Iraq. Even in the US there were demonstrations against the American invasion of Iraq, but there were no demonstrations in the Arab countries.