Structured Response 2

Throughout the years civil society has been defined by many thinkers such as Locke, Montesqieu, Hegel, Marx. Over time the definition has evolved from defining civil society through the state to seeing civil society as an entirely separate force.These thinkers described civil society as the growth of society to the point where it becomes civilized. The institutions making up civil society facilitate regular and sustained participation of citizens. A market economy, social class, corporations, intellectuals, civil servants, NGOs, and aid groups are all actors of civil society.These institutions limit the power of the state. At some point though, a balance must be found between the central authority and societal networks.Today, civil society is made up by a number of voluntary groups of competing organizations, separate from the state, that maintain differing purposes, ideals and interests.  
As civil society develops, strong values and ideologies develop, creating equally strong incentives for change. This is how civil society begins to effect political participation. In the west, civil society developed into social movements, which focused on specific issues such as the working class and then more specified such as women's rights. The political parties, associations and social movements that come about as a result of the development of civil society connect the private and political sectors of a state. In developing countries, civil society helps the transition from dictatorship to democracy with groups focusing on human rights, leftist thinking, and individual freedoms. However, if few opportunities are given to the citizens of a country, the development of civil society is stalled because these organizations will also have too few opportunities. So, as the civil society of a country develops, so do the individual ideologies of a country. Those with similar ideals ban together and each sec fights for political control. This ideology fosters political participation within the state.
In Palestine, the development of civil society initially advanced social and national agendas. NGOs provided a basis for a system of providing services in occupied territories. Shaped by nationalist and developmental goals, organizations extended services to specific groups, empowering them to mobilize politically. These processes could aid many MENA countries attempting to develop a civil society and increase their civil liberties, however, these specified groups became increasingly fractioned and professionalized. This was not helped by increased Israeli control over daily life. Collaboration between groups slowed as the organizations became more detached from their grassroots base and more focused on development rather than mobilization. Other MENA countries face the same problems as Palestine. These countries need to specialize, but continue to cooperate with one another and mobilize, remembering that their progress could be hindered by other state intervention.