Palestine: Development, then Democracy?

In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Chasen argues that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s government has made significant progress toward building a functional state in the West Bank. Chasen cites recent economic growth, extensive modernization in Ramallah, and a “general atmosphere of busyness and safety” across the territory as proof of Fayyad’s success. While expressing concern about the “authoritarian manner” in which Fayyad has achieved these results, Chasen suggests that economic development may be a necessary precondition for future political development in both the West Bank and Gaza and recommends that the U.S. should increase its support for the Fayyad government.