Publication

This paper analyzes how the EU's diplomatic narrative and its political conditionality with regard to North Africa and the Middle East have changed following the Arab Spring. The author asserts that the EU has become more explicit about the level of engagement expected from those countries transitioning towards democracy in the Arab world. Furthermore, she also argues that the EU's focus on political conditionality raises more problems than it solves. She thinks that until problems of engagement with the region are addressed, any changes in relations introduced by the EU will be of limited scope.