Civil Society

            Civil Society has gone through many definitions since the terms creation ranging from the state itself, to the state’s opposition, to somewhat of an intermediary between the state and the people. Some such as Hegal define civil society actors as being in conflict for their own selfish purposes while others such as Habermes focus on the affect that civil society can have in fostering communication in the public sphere. While details on the specifics of what constitutes a civil society have never truly been agreed upon, a loose definition that many modern scholars don’t contest is that civil societies can make political demands towards the state and others, but not run for political office within the government. In addition to this, civil society excludes the business sector and media (usually), because they don’t have voluntary participation. While that interpretation was mostly domestic, civil society from a global perspective has often been seen as playing a major role in countries political transition towards democracy. 

            Before trying to analyze how effective civil societies are this global role, one must first determine if looking at certain regions through a civil society lens even makes sense. For example, the book “Civil Society and Peacebuilding: A Critical Assessment” states that the conditions for a Western style civil society e.g. “a self-confident urban citizenship that has already gained some autonomy from state structures” is mostly absent in Africa, as well as the Middle East.  That isn’t to say that in the Middle East there isn’t action on the civil society front. For example, in the region there has been a gradual opening of political space due to increasing pressure from citizens. After 9/11 Arab human rights organizations “redoubled efforts in the quest for democracy”. Frederic Vairel says that 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 … for international donors.”

            The way I see it the whole point of a civil society is to broaden the space for political participation, whether it be through trade unions or NGOs. Especially after the Cold War when thriving civil society became “an important pillar for establishing democracy”. The only way that a democracy will work is through active political participation and traditionally that is just voting or running for office however through civil society a whole other door is opened to protect the citizens human rights and keep the state from overextending itself, another outlet for intermediation between states and citizens, community building, participatory socialization, and probably most importantly, communication (Merkel and Lauth).