The Effects of Becoming Politicised – UN and EU in the Minds of the Arab Public

Previous research demonstrates that Arab citizens—compared to citizens from other world regions—have very unfavorable attitudes toward international organizations like the UN and the EU (see, e.g., Schlipphak 2013). This might be explained, on the one hand, by the fact that these organizations are perceived to be under US control (see Johnson 2010). On the other hand, it might be due to Arab citizens’ perception of the policy behavior of these institutions (see Furia and Lucas 2006, 2008). We hypothesize that the politicization of these organizations during the Arab Spring has shaped Arab awareness and opinions based on the actions of these organizations. Specifically, we expect that the share of Arab citizens willing to participate in survey questions regarding these organizations has increased during the Arab Spring, and, second, that the factors influencing citizen attitudes toward the UN and the EU have changed during the Arab Spring. These expectations will be tested using quantitative data from the Arab Barometer and the European Neighborhood Barometer.