Why Is Democracy Such a Struggle in the Middle East?

The Middle East has always seemed to teeter on the brink of destruction.  Historically, the Middle East has been the battle ground of countless armies clashing in the rush to become world powers.  The armies of Israel and its neighbors clashed on the hillsides of what is known today as the Golan Heights.  The armies of Egypt and Babylon clashed on the plains of northern Syria.  The armies of Persia marched across the deserts of the Middle East on its way to becoming one of the greatest empires the world had witnessed, until it was confronted with the armies of Alexander the Great, who then became the world's greatest ruler, only to see his kingdom fractured after his death.  Then the Middle East became the battle ground between the powers resident within Egypt and those within Syria, leading to what we know as the Maccabean War.  Then the Romans arrived and the Middle East was constantly in a state of chaos under their heavy-handed leadership. 

Then came the advent of Islam and the clash between three religious theologies: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  The clashes were bloody and deadly, resulting in Islam taking control of the Middle East, a control they maintained until the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.  And, since that date, the Middle East has been as if sitting on a powder keg, often with a short fuse waiting to be lit.

Today the Middle East has become even more embroiled.  The civil war in Syria is now several years old and has seen the destruction of countless lives.  Refugees by the tens of thousands have flooded across its borders into neighboring Jordan.  And now the nation of Iraq, that nation for which over 4,000 American soldiers gave their lives to help set them free, is under attack by one of the most brutal vestiges of radical Islam: ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.  Just this past week we read of the execution of nearly 1700 captured Iraqi soldiers by ISIS.  They now control some of the major cities within Iraq and have commandeered control of one of the largest oil refineries within Iraq.  Its sites are set upon Baghdad and the complete takeover of the Iraqi people.  Will Iraq fall back into a situation even more desperate than those days of Saddam Hussein?  It is quite possible.  There seems to be a lack of resolve on the part of the rest of the world to reenter into the fray within Iraq.  The costs were too high in the previous attempt.  And there seems to have been a lack of resolve on the part of the Iraqi leadership to fully commit to the democratic process.

I need to restate something I wrote in a blog several years ago.  Its truth is now being realized.  It concerns the survival of a democratic way of life in the Middle East.  Yes, the American ideal would be for all the world to enjoy what we have enjoyed for over 250 years - freedom of expression, freedom of access, freedom to worship as one is led.  Now those principles did not just happen in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia.  No, the foundation for those principles were laid within the pages of Scripture and were taught to generation after generation in England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Holland, and Portugal.  Now, to be sure, there were different ways to interpret those principles, but the foundations were there.  So, when the American colonies were created and came together to form a new nation, the principles for a democratic republic were already there.  This nation was founded upon a Judaic-Christian foundation.

The history in the Middle East does not have those same foundations.  Since the 8th century, the Middle East has been govern by principles established upon the Koran.  These principles, as seen in the history of the Islamic world, better fit a government ruled by the power of a few rather than the many.  I am not stating that this is a wrong way to govern, for even within a Christian Europe, totalitarianism was tried, but rejected by the people.  So, given this history, how does someone set about creating a democratic foundation?  Well, our first thought is to have free elections.  But, friends, elections are not democracy.  Elections are a result of democracy.  Elections do not create democracy.  As our Founding Fathers knew, democracy is the result of generations of teaching.  We became excited when the Arab Spring happened, first in Tunisia, then Egypt, then throughout the Middle East.  Ah, we said, now we will have democracy in the Middle East.  So, we helped to establish elections.  And, we were shocked at the consequences: Hamas wins in the West Bank, the Muslim Brotherhood wins in Egypt, other radical groups win in Tunisia and Libya.  How could this have happened? we asked ourselves.  The answer is rather clear - because there was no foundation for the creation of a democracy.  Democracy is not caught; democracy is taught. 

I have been asked if I believed a democratic government would work in the Middle East.  And my answer is "yes" it can and it does.  Just look at Israel.   But upon what is the democracy in Israel based?  Upon those values inherent within the Judaic-Christian beliefs.  yes, there is a form of democracy in Turkey, but that is because the nation of Turkey was created to be a secular state.  But, there are forces within Turkey that are threatening that fragile democracy. 

What is going to happen in Iraq?  I don't know for the immediate future.  But I do know about its distant future.  Babylon will rise once again and become the most powerful city in the world.  It will be the seat of the government of the Antichrist.  Yet, I believe the Scriptures indicate that God will bring a remnant of believers out of Iraq (ancient Assyria) and they will join with believers from Egypt worshiping the God of Israel in Jerusalem.  Read Isaiah 19:23-25.  That should get you excited.

Friends, God is in control.  We can fully trust Him.