Name _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _____ Date _ _ _ _ Class _ _ _ __
North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia
Enrichment Activity
Freedom and Democracy in North Africa
and Southwest Asia
Background
Freedom House is an independent, nongovernmental organization
that monitors freedom and democracy around the world. Each year
it publishes a Freedom in the World survey, which rates the political
rights and civil liberties in each nation of the world. From these
ratings, it assigns each country a status of Free, Partly Free, or Not
Free.
The region of North Africa and Southwest Asia (called "Middle
East and North Africa" in the Freedom House surveys) has ranked
lower than other regions of the world in these surveys. In the 2006
survey, only one nation in this region was given the status of "Free."
Even so, the survey showed improvements in rights and liberties in
this region.
( / For Investigation
Conduct research to learn more about the current status of political
freedom and democracy in North Africa and Southwest Asia. Use
the Freedom House surveys as a starting point. These surveys can be
found at Freedom House's Web site, www.freedomhouse.org. As you
read, look for answers to the following questions.
1. Identifying What countries does Freedom House include in the
region called "Middle East and North Africa"?
2. Categorizing In the most recent survey, how many of the countries
in this region were given the status of Free, Partly Free, and Not Free?
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Name ___________ _ _ _ __ ___ Date _ _ _ _ Class _ _ _ __
Enrichment Activity
continued
3. Listing What were the numerical ratings for each of the countries in
this region? List the" combined average" ratings for these countries.
4. Making Connections How does Freedom House use these ratings to
determine whether a country should be considered Free, Partly Free,
or Not Free? Is a higher or lower rating better?
5. Drawing Conclusions Have any of the countries in this region had
a change in their numerical ratings since the previous year? If so,
was this a positive or negative change?
6. Determining Cause and Effect Choose one country whose ratings
have changed during the past three years. What conditions in that
country led to the rating change?
7. Theorizing Freedom House also indicates which countries have
electoral democracies. Is it possible to be an electoral democracy
and yet not be considered Free? Explain.
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Name ___________________ Date _____ Class _____
Enrichment Activity
continued
Activity
Prepare and present an oral report
about the current status of freedom and
democracy in North Africa and Southwest Asia. Enhance your report by
showing charts or graphs that compare
Freedom House's numerical ratings of
the countries in this region. For each
of the countries that are considered
Free or Partly Free, briefly explain
what conditions in those countries
have merited a more favorable status.
• Freedom House publishes separate
ratings for freedom of the press in
each country. Determine the current
ratings for each of the countries in
the Middle East and North Africa
region. How do these ratings compare to those for political rights and
civil liberties in these countries?
Include a chart or graph in your oral
presentation that compares these
ratings.
• The rights of women in this region
are a particular concern. Choose one
country in this region and find out
more about the rights of women, or
lack of rights, in that country. What
Assessment Checklist
Assess your oral report using the
checklist below:
D
Well organized, with an effective
introduction, body, and conclusion
D
Explained the current status of
freedom and democracy in North
Africa and Southwest Asia in a clear
and meaningful way
D
Used charts or graphs effectively
to enhance the oral report
D
Explained why certain countries in
this region are considered Free or
Partly Free
D
Spoke clearly and slowly, and made
eye contact with the audience
progress, if any, have women made
in the past few years? Summarize
what you learn in a written report.
• An Index of Economic Freedom is
published each year by the Heritage
Foundation and the Wall Street Journal. This index can be found online
at www.heritage.org. Compare the
ratings of economic freedom in this
index to Freedom House's ratings
of political freedom for the same
countries. Do you see any correlation between economic and political
freedoms? Explain the similarities
and differences in three paragraphs.
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