Understanding Political Culture in the Arab Mediterranean Revolts: Challenges and Prospects for the European Union

Faced with widespread revolts and regime changes in the Arab world around the Mediterranean and beyond, the European Union so far has not assumed a position independent of the US and NATO to engage the new factions and parties in power in Arab countries. Europe is divided in its assessment of the ongoing transformation, hoping for the victory of “democratic”, pro-Western moderates but fearing lasting instability and religious extremism. The historic rivalries and divisions between EU states and their colonial legacies in the Arab region further hamper the adoption of a common policy of constructive long-term engagement with the changing Muslim world.