They asked questions such as: How do Arab intellectuals view themselves in relation to the rest of society? How do Arab intellectuals understand procedural democracy and its relationship to freedoms? What is the place of democracy in the order of priorities of these intellectuals? How do these intellectuals define eligibility to participate in the democratic process? Why might some Arab intellectuals who defend freedom cooperate with authoritarian regimes? Is there a relationship between Arab intellectuals’ position on democracy and their ideological orientations?
