Save the date: EuroMeSCo General Assembly and Annual Conference 2012

The next General Assembly and the Annual Conference will take place in Barcelona on 4-5 October 2012.

EuroMeSCo Paper 16: EU Conditionality after the Arab Spring

Rosa Balfour analyses how the European diplomatic narrative and EU political conditionality towards North Africa and the Middle East have been re-invented after the Arab Spring. According to the new rhetoric, EU institutions encourage the governments of those countries which have chosen to embark on the transition to democracy to choose the level of engagement expected from the EU. The EU is now increasingly explicit about its definitions of standards to be achieved and the expectations to be met. The paper also analyses the revision of political conditionality.

The main argument is that the focus on political conditionality raises more problems than it solves: the EU is trying to reshape its relations with the region by twiddling with the tools rather than rethinking the nature of relations between the two shores, which would be a precondition for a new approach. Until deeper and longstanding problems of engagement with the region are addressed, any changes introduced will be of limited scope.

(See all the EuroMeSCo Papers)

Brief 41: Civil society in Egypt and the revolution of 25th January: what role for the EU?

Mohamed Elagati analyses the role of civil society in the Egyptian Revolution of 25th January and after. Civil society initiatives in Egypt are thematically-based organisations which in practice have held the role of political opposition. Having decisively contributed to the success of the revolution, they still need to adapt to the new dynamics of democratisation. Euro-Mediterranean relations should foster the influence of civil society organisations in transforming the Egyptian political system and assist to revamp their traditional working practices.

Brief 42: Is an Islamist Democracy emerging in North Africa? Its contours and objectives, a view from the North

The Arab Spring represents a repoliticization of a region which for years had an image of unshakeable authoritarianism attributed to it. According to Peter Seeberg, Islamist parties have largely benefit from the new active public sphere because they represent the only well-organized alternative to the authoritarian regimes. This Brief analyses the evolution of Islamist movements in several countries and how the emergence of a new wave of Political Islam challenges the traditional policies of the EU and its member states.

Brief 43: The imperative of Security Sector reform after the Arab Spring

As North African and Middle Eastern countries move from revolution to democracy, the reform of the security sector needs to be tackled. According to Fred Tanner and Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, the post-Arab Spring security sector reform faces three main challenges: to redefine the mission of security forces, to communicate the reform process to the general public and to secure the support and assistance from external partners (in particular the US and Europe). The transformation of the security instruments under the “serve and protect” principle is key to speeding up transitions to democracy.

(See all the Briefs)

École d’été : La sécurité et la stabilité en Méditerranée
25th-29th June 2012
Rabat
Le Centre de Recherche sur l’Afrique et la Méditerranée (CERAM)

Democratization in the Middle East and the Arab Spring - An American Perspective
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Jerusalem
PASSIA

Egypt’s 2012 elections
Thursday, 28th June 2012
Prague
EUROPEUM

The GCC in the Mediterranean in light of the Arab Spring
Thursday, 28th June 2012
Rome
IAI and the GMF

Perceptions and Realities of Turkey’s Role in a Changing Arab World
Friday, 29th June 2012
Beirut
Carnegie Middle East Center and TESEV

Emerging new economic policy makers in the Arab Mediterranean: Economic Agendas of Islamic Actors
3rd -4th July 2012
Barcelona
IEMed

Natural Gas in the Eastern Mediterranean: Casus Belli or Chance for Regional Cooperation?
Thursday, 5th July 2012
Tel Aviv
INSS

Egypt's Transition: From Historic to Hijacked?
Friday 13rd July 2012
London
Chatham House

The Middle East and North Africa at Crossroads - Changes in the Past, Present and Future
24th - 25th August 2012
Tampere
TAPRI