The Democracy Trap: Re-thinking the EU’ democratisation policies

Reflecting on the current developments in the Arab world but also on European continent, this paper aims to further develop a critique of the dominant human rights discourse and to point at limits of universalising ambitions of the West in promoting its liberal democratic model in non-Western contexts. Drawing upon the theoretical perspective of contemporary critical thinkers such as Alain Badiou (and his thesis of the corruption of democracy) or Slavoj Zizek (and his post-politics) this paper attempts to unpack some of the contractions and paradoxes of the EU’s democratisation policies and discourses and to question the universality of the Western liberal democracies. It is argued that for Europe to claim its universality it needs to enter into a dialogue with what it considers as a radical different and to open up its political space beyond its institutional and legal frameworks. Although such dialogue may be considered as ethically unacceptable and politically risky for liberal-minded and secular circles in Europe it is only on the basis of listening that there is a valid foundation for either accepting or rejecting parts or whole of what they are after.