Is the argument of Western politicians that the MENA region is not ready of 'democracy' still prevalent? The explicit argument by Western politicians that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is inherently "not ready for democracy" has largely receded from polite, official diplomatic rhetoric , but the core premise remains highly prevalent as an implicit driver of Western foreign policy. Rather than framing the issue as an cultural or societal deficit, contemporary Western leaders justify their backing of autocratic regimes through the lenses of pragmatic stability, security, migration management, and economic self-interest . The structural landscape of this political argument manifests through several distinct dynamics: 1. Shift from Cultural Incompatibility to "Crisis Management" The Post-Arab Spring Realism : Following the structural collapse of several democratic transitions after 2011 (e.g., Libya's prolonged instability and Tunisia...
“The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion (to which few members of other civilizations were converted) but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact; non-Westerners never do.” —Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilisation and the Remaking of the World Order, 1996, p. 51