The Effects Of Colonialism In The Middle East

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Introduction
Living in America, we are constantly bombarded with rhetoric on “modernizing” other states by “teaching” them how to be democratic--what we judge to be the ultimate form of government. We have done this time and again, most recently in our democratic crusades in the Middle East, particularly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. We are baffled that our coerced democracy is not something that sticks as well as we had hoped, while not addressing that democracy is not meant to be something forced upon a people and the process of doing so almost negates the intention. Questioning why democracy is so elusive in the Middle East assumes two things. First, using the word “elusive” implies that there is some inherent value, a …show more content…

This essay will examine both the direct effects of colonialism, in the evaluation of post-colonial economic consequences such as dependency on external bodies, as well as indirect effects of colonialism, in the evaluation of post-colonial political …show more content…

Colonialism often incurs arbitrarily drawn state lines that divide ethnic and religious groups, which equates with a division of interests in a state. This is especially true in states with a weakened sense of patriotism (often instead favoring nationalism), where it can be difficult to determine whose interests within a state is to be represented by a newly instated regime. This already hinders a state’s ability to operate democratically, and can result in external bodies taking advantage of internal divisions. When it is possible for powers that used to hold these states as colonies to continue their influence, even when no longer officially holding power over the state, then the interests of that power are being represented before the interests of the state’s citizens, impeding

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