Crisis of succession in Islam

There is a current onslaught on the fundamentals of the Islamic faith. The term 'Shari'ah' is severally misunderstood by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The call for an Islamic 'renaissance' is one attempt to tackle the faith's 'problem with modernity'. The major issue facing Muslims in the 21st century is that of political legitimacy. The Arab spring (popular uprising in Middle Eastern nations against totalitarian regimes) has perhaps thrown up more questions than solutions. Safeguarding its interests of continued global domination, western powers have a clear idea of what sorts of governments they prefer in the Muslim world, whilst existing governments have their own. With the ongoing debate, one gets polarised views from Muslims (scholars and laymen alike) on the issue of Islamic governance. On the one hand are those proposing an indiscriminate adoption of Western Liberal Democracy. On the other are those who condemn any form of representative government as Kufr (disbelief). Is there a workable middle path with adherence to the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah (Prophetic Traditions)? Read on.