Abstract

The European response to the Arab uprisings has been fundamentally conservative, reflecting the attitude of European policy makers towards change in the Mediterranean, but also greatly limiting the potential relevance of Europe in political developments post–Arab Spring. The Arab Spring caught Europe not only by surprise but also in a bad moment, given the deep economic and social crisis that has engulfed it and the unfinished transformations triggered by the Lisbon Treaty. With pressing domestic concerns and little available political leadership, the Europeans have resorted to their traditional pattern of reacting to events. But the set of policy initiatives put forward has not succeeded in shaking off the impression that Europe, and its conservative attitude, is part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Introduction

The European response to the Arab uprisings has been fundamentally conservative, reflecting the attitude of European policy-makers towards change in the Mediterranean, but also greatly limiting Europe’s relevance in political developments post-Arab Spring. As a pro-status quo actor, Europe did not push for change in the Mediterranean, and finds itself in the post-Arab Spring context in the difficult position of having to adapt to change, rather than being able to participate in it and contribute to shaping the future of the area. This chapter will show how the Arab uprisings have transformed only marginally the substance of five decades of European foreign policy. Although Europe, in its various guises, is often the only international actor that has consistently engaged on the ground in the area, its conservative attitude and its increasingly short-term approach threatens to make it irrelevant in a volatile context.