Abstract:

Examining the notion of the state and governance in the Middle East leads to the argument that a prolonged dilemma has become embedded in the region's political culture. Commentators suggest that these states could be considered failed states. Nevertheless, over the past century, there have been several attempts to resolve the crises and propose alternatives to the projects of states and governance in the Middle East. This paper aims to examine three key points. Firstly, it critically analyses the crises in the Middle East, the root causes, and the repercussions of the chaos in the present and future. To achieve this, the paper delves into the past and explores the causes of events to understand the complete picture of the chaos. Secondly, it suggests and contemplates alternatives for the crises by reviewing proposed alternatives implemented in the last century and the resulting changes observed. Thirdly, the paper examines a suggested project a not yet implemented alternative to the dilemma in the Middle East. The paper attempts to scrutinize a newly suggested approach that has been theoretically understudied and less discussed. The discussion about this model has hardly seen the light of mainstream academia, media, and think tank centers. Democratic Confederalism is a project suggested as a solution to the dilemma in the Middle East. Arguably, it is a societal grassroots approach proposed as a realistic alternative to the model of the Nation-State that has been the primary governance model in the region for the last 100 years.