Aims & Objective

What makes a society succeed? High up on the list – perhaps as high up as it is possible to go – is our shared need for the rule of law.Think about it: When the people around us don’t follow and uphold the law, the place we live in becomes unsafe, unstable, and corrupt.When we lack or lose the right to change the laws and make them better, the place we live in becomes unjust. And when we don’t make the effort to live lawfully ourselves, we set an example for others that can take on a life of its own – one man, woman, or child at a time – and bring down the society as a whole. Each of us needs to take personal responsibility for building a culture of lawfulness – an environment supportive of the rule of law, in which we can live the way we want to, without fear, corruption, and injustice to block our success.

This Web site is all about what it takes to construct a culture of lawfulness.

In Arab societies, as in the rest of the world, obstacles to the rule of law are immense – but they can be overcome. Media personalities in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, Lebanon, and Jordan have already taken a first step, by sharing stories with their audiences about the struggle to strengthen the rule of law, and identifying heroes, young and old, who embody this just cause. These media personalities first came together for an academic seminar sponsored by Georgetown University’s Center for Democracy and Civil Society and the Culture of Lawfulness Project. It was held in Sicily, the former Mafia capital of the world, where supporters of the rule of law have gone a long way toward defeating organized crime and corruption in their midst. Participants in the seminar learned first-hand about the culture of lawfulness in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and decided together to work toward extending it into the Middle East. They met again in Abu Dhabi, and were joined later by 25 more reporters and broadcasters. Lawfulculture.org features the articles they have published and the stories they have told to the Arab public. This Web site is also a place where they and their colleagues are contributing new stories and personal experiences on an ongoing basis.

This site can also be a place for you to join the effort to build a culture of lawfulness by sharing insights and stories of your own – about support for the rule of law in Arab societies or anywhere else. We want to hear from you, and we want to learn from you. Read some of the articles on our site. Together, we can make the world a better, more lawful place.