Synopsis

Since the early 1990s, the European Union has pursued policies designed to promote democracy and respect for human rights in other parts of the world. With the launch of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership - or Barcelona Process - in 1995, this aspect of EU external relations began to focus on North Africa, a region hitherto written off by many experts concerned with the prospects of democratization in the non-industrialized world. This book offers a critical assessment of the strategy upon which this activity has been based, along with in-depth analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of EU democracy promotion activity. Contributors from a variety of European and North African countries show how the obstacles to political change in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt are not only to be found within these countries, but also in EU member states such as France and Spain.