Civil Society in MENA

The term civil society is another term not easily defined. Civil society is a concept that is diverse, always changing, and controversial. In the 1750’s a major shift occurred on the idea of what civil society was and could be.  Writers like Adam Ferguson and Thomas Paine developed the idea of civil society saying it differed from the state. Civil society was seen not only as a organization directed toward the state but also having the ability to counter state powers. Over the past hundreds of years scholars, philosophers, writers, and politicians have added to the conversation of civil society and its benefits and drawbacks. By looking at everyone’s ideas on civil society we can form a commonality of all their interpretations.

Civil society is seen as its own sector. It consists of mainly volunteers that maintain different objectives, interests, and ideologies. These civil societies usually compete with each other. Lastly, they are viewed as freely organized and interact with public sphere.

The status of MENA civil society is not a good status. Although civil society has played large roles in democratic transitions all over the world like Latin America and Eastern Europe, it hasn’t helped MENA nearly at all. Many of NGO’s in MENA have been weakened and tamed. The civil societies that exist usually have little impact and aren’t seen as a resource.

Civil society can play a big role in fostering political participation in many countries around the world. We have seen it work but unfortunately not in MENA. Although Morocco and Egypt had help from civil societies, by no means did the play a huge role in their democratization. He states, “In Morocco and Egypt, civil society has become a cause for some, a field to increase the value of diplomas for others, or a practical notion and landmark for international donors, journalists, diplomats, and academics. In none of these countries should “real civil societies” be understood as the first step towards democracy (Camau 2002)".