Scholars debated the definition of democracy and discussed the implications of the controversy for democracy promotion efforts in the Middle East during a panel at Georgetown University on April 24, 2006.
Although many discussions of democracy focus on the political developments occurring in particular countries, the panel addressed a more fundamental question: What does the term democracy mean? Does it entail a strict definition of what a government must look like to be called democratic? Or does it represent a more fluid concept that can be adapted to different local circumstances?