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 ____ _

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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 ____ _

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

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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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