Okay,controversial topic today!
When a country's very existence is tied to a religion,development is considerably  deterred-religions have their own unique(read,weird) set of beliefs and once that  becomes the legal and constitutional framework of a nation,it is detrimental to the advancement of the country as a whole.I don't want to pick a specific example-I will leave it to the reader.These countries are not democratic and cannot be democratic because the very basis of the country precludes independent thought.
But it is not possible to keep people from thinking for themselves for too long-unless brute force and intimidation is also part of the equation.But they work pretty well and apathy sets in-each one for himself and that is all I care about becomes everyone's attitude.There will always be exceptions to the norm but the momentum is stalled because there are not enough people sustaining the cause and wanting a change.
Sometimes,an event can be the very catalyst that was lacking for that change to occur.It spurs the masses into action and nudges the entire population into reassessing their lot in life.Something happened this week on the international arena-it involved a young lady fighting for a just cause who was unjustly punished for it.The public reaction was massive and the official reaction was unprecedented.Hopefully this will bring about the change that region sorely needs.
The Arab spring was proof of the power of the masses and though most of the regimes changes that resulted from it are still works in progress,there is hope.
Thomas Friedman's article in this regard was thought provoking and spot on.Mitt Romney needs to read it one more time!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/opinion/friedman-what-romney-didnt-say.html?ref=thomaslfriedman&_r=0

Moderates in positions of power is too much to ask right  now of countries which are stepping out of dictatorships,but hopefully it will soon become the norm rather than the exception.Hard work ahead,but I feel it will help redefine what people power is all about and ultimately bring about peace that is permanent and productive.