A look at the various governments of the Middle East.

1. The Middle East
Governments

2. ❖ Parliamentary
❖ Constitutional Monarchy
❖ Absolute Monarchy
❖ Dominant Party
Presidential Republics
❖ Authoritarian State
❖ Theocratic
Government Types

3. Democracy Rating
A 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
8.00-8.99
Flawed democracies:
7.00-7.99
6.00-6.99
Hybrid regimes:
5.00-5.99
4.00-4.99
Authoritarian regimes:
3.00-3.99
2.00-2.99
0.00-1.99

4. 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

5. 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

6. Arab Spring

7. ❖ 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 appoints
the Prime Minister.
★ Turkey Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Parliamentary

8. ❖ 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

9. ❖ 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 Arabia
The country is ruled by
a King who is a member
of the Al Sa’ud
royal family.
Absolute Monarchy

10. 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.

11. ❖ 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 coalition
of forces led by the United States
○ The country now has a Parliamentary form of government
Authoritarian State

12. ❖ 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