FIGURE 6.28 Photo Essay: Power and Politics in North Africa and Southwest Asia Political freedoms are often poorly protected in this region, which is one of the least democratized in the world. It is no coincidence that this region also suffers disproportionately from violent conflict. Wars and terrorism here have limited the expansion of political freedoms. Authoritarian regimes often forcibly repress legitimate political opposition groups, and conflicts that might have been resolved peacefully through the political process drag on for years or even decades. 6.28a Courtesy Purestock/Getty Images, 6.28b Courtesy Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images, 6.28c Courtesy Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images, 6.28d Courtesy Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images, 6.28e Courtesy Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images