FRANCIS FUKUYAMA ON LIBERAL DEMOCRACY: A REFLECTION ON THE ARAB UPRISING

One may say that the recent revolutions taking place in the middle east and north Africa exonerate Francis Fukuyama from myriad of critics who questioned his assertion on the idea of a universal and directional history leading up to liberal democracy and thus, that liberal democracy may signal the end point of the socio-political expedition or the end of history in the political scenes. But the question remains: what triggered the Arab uprising?

Going by the factor that triggered these revolutions, can it be said that they are tilting towards democracy? Or could they (revolutions) be likened to the Iranian revolution of 1970s, when an authoritarian regime was replaced by a much more brutal, dangerous and intolerant religious dictatorship? And, considering Fukuyama’s position on democracy, what makes democracy the ideal political system for these Arabian counties?

Using the philosophical method of comparative analysis and hermeneutics, this work will try to answer the above question thereby, establishing that practical democracy remains the way out of the political imbroglio facing the Arab world. Article BY CHIDIEBERE C. OBI UNIZIK