February 6th, 2008 by Nicolas

The control of central governments is growing weaker throughout the Arab world writes Rami Khouri from the Daily Star. The power has begun to shift “into the hands of Islamized urban quarters, armed militias, ethnic-based parties, neighborhood thugs, autonomous regional authorities, multinational corporations, and private-sector commercial real estate firms.” The influence of non-state actors was shown during the 2006 battle between Hezbollah and Israel, when Israel was forced to accept a U.N. ceasefire. This dissipation of state power, according to Khouri, can be attributed to the “declining credibility of state authority; the determination of concerned citizens to take charge of their own life needs and well-being; and the enormous power of the globalized commercial marketplace.”

Posted in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Yemen |