Civil Society and Democratic Transition in the Arab World: a Democratization Factor or a Stumbling Block ?

Abstract

The study focuses on the impact of civil society on the transition towards democracy in the Arab world, to assess its role in the scene of the region's political changes. It has become clear that civil society's real role emerges when the political system is on the edge, it has a responsibility to put the process of political change on the right track. Thus, the future of democratization experiences in the Arab region in terms of civil society depends on the social forces' ability to sustain democratic struggle, and its attendant clear and consistent elements and practices which define its course of action, mobility, and achievement, and on the general compatibility between political authority and these Powers which reflects the genuine partnership between them order to achieve a democratic transformation that doesn’t reproduce the old authoritarian system.