Beskrivelse
The transformations in the Arab world (‘Arab Spring’) have taken the EU and its member states by surprise. While the European response to the events revealed familiar fault lines, they also highlighted the necessity for both analysts and practitioners to take a closer look at the EU’s approach to, and involvement with, its Mediterranean ‘neighbours’. The European reaction to the uprisings not only cast a doubt, once again, over the EU’s ability to respond to significant events as a relevant actor with a clear strategy where rhetoric is matched by deeds. The events raise important questions about interests of leading EU member states, the normative foundations of EU foreign policy, and the nature of European engagement with MENA states – political elites, military and civil society – over the past two decades. Arguably, key tensions exists between the EU’s proclaimed identity as a ‘normative power’, as demonstrated in stated commitments to democratic reforms and human rights, and the security and economic interests of EU member states, as well the shadow of a colonial history. Furthermore, to fully understand the parameters structuring EU-MENA relations today, it is necessary to also consider how ‘Europe’ and its various interests and initiatives are perceived by political and civil society actors in Northern Africa and the Middle East. Against this backdrop, this workshop intends to critically examine European-MENA relations from three angles: (i) the perspective from MENA states and societies, (ii) significant bilateral relations between European and MENA states, and (iii) the perspective from Brussels/the EU apparatus. To discuss these issues, the workshop will bring together academics with expertise in EU foreign policy and/or the MENA region with the aim to compile suitable papers in an edited volume with a leading publisher.| Periode | 1 jun. 2012 |
|---|---|
| Begivenhedstype | Konference |
| Placering | London, StorbritannienVis på kort |