Comparative politics

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Religion and Cultural beliefs

Allowing individuals to practice their religious activities is an essential exercise that determines the nature of relationship amongst people. In Lebanon, Islamic religion dominated the country with Christianity contributing a smaller percentage. The existence of different religions defines the level of hospitality in the country which in turn contributes to the democratic way of operation as noted by Faour (2007). The country promoted peace through democracy where the citizens had the powers to elect their preferred candidate irrespective of their religious orientation.

The acknowledgment that individuals from any particular religion can provide leadership at the various levels is an important acknowledgment that facilitates democratisation in the society. It is in this way that the citizens of Lebanon have been able to drive the agenda of democracy in their nation. Acknowledging and respecting the various religious backgrounds of individuals in a nation plays a critical role in helping the people to practice their constitutional rights without fear of intimidation. Treating all religions with fairness by the leaders facilitates unity and togetherness in a nation. Religion has played an important role in shaping the process of democratisation in Lebanon and the fruits of this stand out to be evident.

The Lebanon law encourages individuals to practice the Arabic language as a formal mode of communication to avoid communication barriers. It is important to identify a national language that can be used as a tool for communication where people can use as their culture. Once the issue of language is solved, many cases of discrimination are eliminated thus allowing people to practice their rights of association thus making them appreciate democracy.

Through the establishment of a common language, Lebanon has been able to minimise challenges related to leadership since citizens can discuss in the event of any misunderstandings. Individuals are identified at a family level where dignity must be upheld through strong family bonds. The practice implied accountability of any action undertaken by a family member thus making the work of the administration a bit easier. Nagel and Staeheli (2015) noted that the level of crime is limited since individuals fear the practice of being held responsible for any mistakes made as a result of careless behaviours. It is critical for such measures to be put in place to ensure individuals practice good morals that can contribute to the development of the society. Leaders have the responsibility of reinforcing the laws set to ensure compliance is achieved by offering necessary support regarding the interpretation of the rules and regulations.

Conclusion

With the democratisation of Tunisia, we saw that some basic precondition were fundamental for the process of democratisation to start. Indeed, the growing middle class fighting for their right, a stable economic situation and in some cases the help of the religion. Contrary, with case of Lebanon, the democratisation process was provoked by different agencies. Firstly, the creation of Lebanon by France, and then after the civil war the help of external states such as the USA, Egypt and Saudia Arabia that help the reaching of an Agreement in Ta’if. Besides these agencies there were also structural factors part of the Lebanese culture that facilitated the process of democratisation. In both countries, once the population was empowered, and equitably represented as the citizen could participate in the decision-making process, the process of the consolidation of a democratic state was initiated. Nowadays, Lebanon and Tunisia are two democracy that outspend the others in their region.

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