John B. Judis

Some analysts have suggested that Iraq’s significant oil wealth will help it make the transition from dictatorship to democracy following the fall of longtime dictator Saddam Hussein in April 2003. In the following viewpoint John B. Judis argues that Iraq’s oil wealth, far from being an advantage, may actually be a hindrance to fashioning a viable democracy. He contends that oil wealth tends to strengthen authoritarian regimes that no longer have to rely on tax revenue. Oil wealth also retards the development of civil society—institutions such as social clubs, private businesses, and unions that exist independent of the state and which are, according to Judis, vital to creating a democratic form of government. Judis, a senior editor at the New Republic, has also written for...