middle eastern culture

Middle Eastern Culture
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Middle Eastern Culture
The politics of the Middle East is often multifaceted and complicated as compared to other regions because of oil resources, numerous conflicts between nations, and the rise of Islamist terrorist groups such as Taliban and Al Qaeda (Owen, 2013). The Middle East houses several nations including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Of these listed nations, Afghanistan has been the one making most headlines because of its political state. The country has a history of power struggles, bloody coups, and instability. Numerous types of government have governed it in the past including the republic, monarchy, theocracy, and communist governments. In 2003, the country enacted a constitution effectively restructuring the Afghan government into an Islamic republic having three branches namely legislative, executive, and judiciary (Gasiorowski, 2016). It is also essential to note that Afghanistan politics has previously catalyzed wars with other nations including the United States.
Just as in the case with Afghanistan, politics in Pakistan has witnessed instability and coups. The 1999 coup is the most recent despite the nation having a constitution promulgated in the year 1973. After the 1999 coup, the constitution has undergone various amendments and reforms. The current structure proclaims that the country is a democratic and Islamic nation led by the president who is elected on a five-year term. However, the 2010 amendment stripped the presidency of its major powers and shifted the government to a purely parliamentary one.

Unlike its neighbors in the Middle East, India is a nation that has not witnessed political turmoil and war. It is the world’s largest democracy with the highest number of political factions and parties and the most significant number of individuals with the rights taking part in election campaigns (Gasiorowski, 2016). In India, polls are held at the national, state, city, and village levels.
References
Gasiorowski, M. (2016). The government and politics of the Middle East and North Africa. Hachette UK.
Owen, R. (2013). State, power, and politics in the making of the modern Middle East. Routledge.