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box. These decisions are going to guide the country through every future decision that is made. Because of this, it is important to bring all the groups into the process as well as making them part of the end result. It's difficult to think that a country like Iran, which is 51% Persian, may actually alienate nearly half of its own population. However, because it is 89% Shi'a Muslim, Iran's identity is based largely in its religious ideals. Also, Iran has taken the leap of faith and enacted its own policy of democracy. They have cleared the first hurdle in establishing the democratic principles that guide their country.

The task is not so clear cut for Iraq. Iraq is 75-80% Arab and 60-65% Shi'a Muslim. The ethnic identity here becomes much more muddled. If these majority groups vote as a united group, the decision is easier. The problem is that the 20-25% that is not Arab could potentially be half Shi'a Muslim and if they vote along religious AND ethnic lines, the Arab Shi'a Muslims would no longer have the majority vote. So where does this leave Iraq's cultural identity? It's hard to say but clearly there is no easy decision to the problem. Iraq has cleared the first hurdle by giving representation to its population in its congress. From here on out, only time will tell if the recent democratic advancements will stand strong.
Iran and Iraq are only part of the Middle East picture. Many other countries have the same problems in terms of ethnic and religious diversity. This is happening both within each individual country as well as the Middle East as a whole. So the big question is, can the individual countries establish a cultural identity that will satisfy their populations? A second and equally important question is, can the Middle East live with the cultural identity that is established by the individual countries? Until these questions are satisfactorily answered, democracy will only be a hope for the region.

Learn more about this author, Aaron Edgell.
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