The Arab world is currently struggling to maintain cultural integrity and religious identity in the face of globalization. This critical phase is magnified by a split between the public agenda and the media agenda. This article offers a comparative tool for assessing the Arab world in terms of civil liberties, rule of law, anticorruption and transparency, and accountability and public voice. Most important, it outlines the dichotomy between patron states and discontented publics.
The Arab world is not monolithic. Although most Arabs share a common geography, religion, language, broad culture, and history, the Arab world is made up of different states, governments and peoples, and ethnic groups. To be sure, the Arab world has a dominant culture that distinguishes it from, say, the West; however, it also has subcultures . Although most inhabitants adhere to Islam, believers in Judaism, Christianity and other religions also live in the Arab world.
The self-image of Arabs is in tension. The romantic, sentimental attachment to idealized beauty of Arab culture increasingly confronts a rebellion against the rigidity of the classic aesthetic. In this new spirit of cultural revolt, both conservatives and liberals focus solely on their own perspectives.
