The Post-Ottoman Empire and Middle East Democratic Deficit

The Middle East has a long and complex history of political turmoil, violations of democratic principles and bad governance. Consequent of these, the region continues to grapple with democratic deficits despite pressure to transition towards greater political participation. The post-colonial state theory was adopted as the theoretical framework for this paper. The documentary method of data collection was used and data were analysed using content analysis. This paper argues that the collapse of the Ottoman Empire led to European intervention, which hindered the development of democracy in the region. Furthermore, integrating the region's economy into the global capitalist system through colonialism exacerbated political instability and impeding democratic progress. Existing studies often focus on internal factors such as governance practices, cultural and religious aspects; this study emphasises the significant role of colonial history, global economic integration and political behaviour in shaping the region's democratic challenges. The findings reveal that the historical legacies of the Ottoman Empire's collapse and subsequent European colonialism have profoundly affected the political landscape of the Middle East. The study recommends among others the need to enhancing regional cooperation, promoting inclusive governance, and acknowledging the historical impact of colonialism and the urgent need to address common political and economic challenges facing the region.