الاتحاد الأوروبي و التحول الديمقراطي في الوطن العربي : حدود القوة المعيارية

Abstract EN

This article considers the limitations of the role that the European Union plays (or does not play) in the process of democratic transition in the Arab World, building on the idea of the EU as a 'normative power' in international politics.

It argues that the breakdown of democratic transition in the Arab Spring states, and the (non)-role of the EU, provides an appropriate tool for testing the limits of the EU's 'normative power'.

The second section reviews the development of the EU's modes of involvement in democratic transition in the Arab World, while the third section analyses, critiques, and tests these modes.

The article concludes by exposing the limits of the EU's normative power, arguing that its behaviour in foreign Policy is more strategic than it is normative.