Book extract: The urge to control

By Brian Whitaker

"The right of people to act collectively – and independently of governments – for the sake of shared interests, purposes and values is one of the building blocks of a free 

and open society.

Arab governments have traditionally sought to restrict such activity, though the Arab

Spring protests that erupted in 2010-2011 raised hopes that this would change.

In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, dictators have fallen but new leaders are still 

hankering after the old ways. One example is the new associations law proposed by 

the Islamist-led government in Egypt which in some respects is as bad as the Mubarak regime's old law – if not worse.

Below is an extract from my book, What's Really Wrong with the Middle East, which 

explains the nature of the problem and why freedom of association is vital if Arabs are 

to achieve accountable government. Though written in 2009, before the outbreak of 

the Arab Spring, most of it still applies today .....

In the poorer Arab countries there is not enough funding from local sources for most NGOs to survive, so they often depend on western donors or the UN. By vetting all foreign donations, governments thus acquire the power to strangle NGOs more or less at will."