NEWSLETTER Civil Society in West Asia, Issue 2: 'Democratization Industry' and Challenges faced by Civil Society Concept

Tags: West Asia, Civil Society in West Asia

Crisis is a much-overworked word in social sciences generally and in politics in particular. Phrases such as ‘democracy promotion is in crisis’ or ‘civil society can never be a force for democratization’ are simplistic overstatements. However, one cannot deny that there are serious challenges on the road to democratization, both of a conceptual and of a practical nature. The second issue of the newsletter of Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia deals with the challenges faced by the concept of civil society and the much-debated concepts in the ‘democratization industry’.