A civil society is one that is relatively self-sufficient economically, based on modern scientific and technological methods, and in which cities play a leading and essential role in civilizational development.
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It is an indisputable fact that all the Arab Spring revolutions were essentially political rather than social revolutions. This explains the wide diversity of the social classes and groups involved, whose demands were focused solely on general liberal political aspirations.
Therefore, it was not surprising at that time that the discussions and speeches of political parties and figures in Yemen were confined to building a civil state within the framework of political-legal ideology. These discussions specifically revolved around the form of the political system, the structure of the state, and the type of electoral system.
Following the February 11, 2011 revolution in Yemen, a consensus emerged that a civil state offers the way out of the country's comprehensive crisis. It was believed that this state should ideally be federal in structure and parliamentary in governance, with proportional representation of parties as the suitable electoral system for Yemen.
Criteria of Social Policy
At that time, I consistently argued in discussions with colleagues and friends that translating these political aspirations into practical realities necessitated specific economic and social reforms. Actually, this is because liberal ideology isn't detached from economic and social contexts; hence, political aspirations cannot be isolated from economic and social demands.
In my study presented at the Sixth Conference of the Yemeni Writers’ Union, titled "The Culture of Modernization and Democracy in Yemeni Society" (Al-Hikmah Magazine, 1994, Issue 200), I introduced the criteria of fair social policy in defining civil society, which was an unconventional approach.
In that study, I classified developing societies into three distinct groups based on their historical development:
Based on this, I clearly stated in that study that "Yemeni society, as a transitional society in its economic and social structure, must, as a subsequent and direct step in its historical development, move towards the stage of civil society" (Al-Hikmah Magazine, p. 59).
Moreover, I provided a detailed definition of civil society to include fair social policy criteria at its core. This definition states that civil society is "a society governed by a central state, a state of institutions and law, structured in a form of governance based on political liberalism."
A civil society is one that is relatively self-sufficient economically, based on modern methods of science and technology, and in which cities play a leading and essential role in civilizational development.
Likewise, civil society is a society based on social justice, which aims to mitigate negative capitalist phenomena ( such as poverty, unemployment, etc.); therefore, it is necessary to combine free economic activity as a dynamic factor for economic efficiency with social protection" (ibid., p. 60).
From Tribal Society to National State
In short, the civil state can only be established within a civil society. The civil society we aspire to is not a social structure resembling pre-World War II capitalism but rather an advanced form of humanized capitalism; that is, capitalism in which the lower and middle classes enjoy social protection that guarantees a decent living.
Moreover, it should be noted here that the Yemeni people's transition from the stage of a tribal society to a national state hinges on the triumph of Yemeni society and its sovereignty. The tribe is a form of human settlement predating the emergence of the nation, consisting of various tribes living in one country yet still separated by tribal divisions. Therefore, their national consciousness is still in the formative stage.
“The widespread increase in poverty and unemployment in Yemen is one of the factors hindering the building of civil society. This fact makes social policies and programs more urgent in the face of political and social thought in our country. Without a certain degree of social equality and a certain level of wealth and welfare, it is impossible to build a civil society.”
A nation, on the other hand, is a form of historical human gathering based on the unity of language, shared land, a common economic life, certain cultural traits, and a self-aware national consciousness formed over a long period of time. A nation is formed with the formation of civil society during the period of overcoming feudal fragmentation and the dominance of capitalist relations. It consists of different tribes and peoples who merge into a single and unified entity based on the interaction of these foundations.
In other words, the nation is the product of the fusion of tribes into one large human gathering, united by a single common market, in which individual civic consciousness replaces collective tribal consciousness, and the political and social practices of people are realized through civil society institutions rather than their tribal structures or regional affiliations. All of this presupposes the existence of a developed national self-awareness, reflecting the self-identity of the concerned people.
Besides, the transition to the stage of a nation-state in Yemen requires achieving the highest level of economic, social, and cultural integration among different regions and individuals, and the development of civil society institutions, so that all of this leads to increasing cultural and psychological homogeneity among people, and expanding the scope of common economic interests.
These considerations should not be overlooked by the political leaders of Yemen, as the existence of significant disparities between regions at the economic and cultural levels will not serve the transition of Yemenis to the stage of a nation. On the contrary, such disparities may lead to the formation of completely independent political units or, at the very least, increase political instability in the country.
On the other hand, it is illogical to build the modern Yemeni state without taking into account social justice, which should be embodied in a progressive tax policy and social policies that guarantee assistance and requalification for the unemployed in line with labor market demands, and allocating social funds to assist the disabled, the elderly, and deprived children, such as orphans and the homeless.
Social justice also requires that the country's legislative authority enact a labor law that is up to the level of labor laws in civilized countries. The key point here is for the legislative authority to set the minimum wage in Yemen commensurate with the level of inflation and the requirements of a decent human life, to establish and secure the rights of workers in the private and public sectors regarding healthcare and social security, and to prohibit child labor in both the civilian and military spheres.
From all this, it becomes clear that the social foundations for building a civil state and a civil society are, in principle, the same. Ignoring these foundations can thwart efforts and projects to establish them. The theoretical basis we rely on is that interests determine the behavior of classes, groups, and political parties. The cohesion of any nation depends on the approach of its social classes and the convergence of economic, social, and cultural levels between its federal units or its different regions.
Increasing Poverty and Unemployment
In this context, it should be noted that the widespread increase in poverty and unemployment in Yemen is one of the factors hindering the building of civil society. This fact makes social policies and programs more urgent in the face of political and social thought in our country. Without a certain degree of social equality and a certain level of wealth and welfare, it is impossible to build a civil society.
To achieve a prosperous and affluent society, it is necessary to establish a list of economic priorities for the current phase, combining a planned economy with a market economy. This includes creating joint-stock companies to invest in major economic fields and encouraging banks to provide long-term investment loans.
The modernization and democratization of the Yemeni state are essential prerequisites for building state capitalism, which we also rely on for establishing large industrial projects. Because state capitalism is an effective method for centralizing national capital, including private capital. It represents a distinct form of capitalism where the state and capital integrate into a unique system of mutual relationships, aimed at accelerating economic development.
Readers should not be surprised by this reliance on the public sector, as national industrial capitalism in developing countries is extremely weak. We are well aware of the role this sector has played in economic development in many countries, where it constituted, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, 33.9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) value in Japan, 37.0% in the USA, 45.2% in the UK, 47.3% in Germany, and 53.6% in France.
All these irrefutable facts conclusively prove that the modern state is a fundamental prerequisite for any genuine economic development. It is also the primary political tool for building civil society with its new institutions, economic and social relations, and new social consciousness.
