The EU Selective Engagement in the MENA: Will Democracy Ever be a Priority?

The European Union (EU) has been engaged in democracy promotion in the Mediterranean for over two decades with no real success. The incidents of September 11 have contributed to the feeling that more cooperation is needed in the political/security arena and not only in the fields of economy and trade. However, the democratization efforts did not move beyond the security calculations for both the EU, the United States (US) and other influential players. The revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) provide a window of opportunity for democratic reforms. One might expect a paradigm shift in the EU foreign policy towards the MENA region – especially that it falls in its backyard and raises serious security concerns to its borders. This paper raises the following question: Has there been any change in the EU foreign policy towards the Arab Spring countries regarding democracy promotion? Answering the research question, the paper studies the EU policies regarding democracy promotion in the Arab Spring countries and compares it to that of the US. The paper argues that external powers continue to implement a selective engagement in the region that is still dominated by security and stability even at the expense of democracy. The paper analyzes if there have been any significant changes in the EU democracy promotion in the MENA region in the aftermath of the Arab Spring by focusing on the Arab Spring countries (Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria).