Democracy and Jordan. the First in the Arab World?

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan lies in the center of the Arab world and like the rest of the Arab world, it is not a real democracy. Jordan has shown since its official independence in 1946 to be more progressive than many of its counterparts within the Arab world. Currently, Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament and is one of the few Arab countries with civilian courts. However the country is far from being a true democracy since power is still dominated by the King. So can Jordan become the first democracy in the authoritarian Arab world or even a democracy at all? Political scientists would argue Jordan has some significant steps to take before it can become a democracy. These changes will have to take place not only within the country’s government and economy but also within the society of the nation itself. Currently the prospects for democracy are cloudy and appear distant due to recent digression from democratic principals and negative external influences, yet Jordan is more likely to become a democracy before the rest of the Arab world.
In order to understand the process of democratization in Jordan, democracy must be first defined. Dahl’s definition of democracy requires a country to include the following for its citizens: inclusion, political equality, enlightened understanding, control of the agenda and effective participation (Dalton, Cain and Scarrow). Up to this point aside from having inclusion in the political process for all of its citizens, Jordan fails the other four of these five categories because its government is not responsive to its citizens. Authors of political science have claimed the Arab world as the only category in the world, ethnic, regional or religious, that is without a democratic government (Diamond). However, he claims attitudes are changing in the Middle East and this will cause democracy to form within the region. Diamond highlights economic development as a key driver for democracy because they... [continues]

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