Lynne Rienner Europe and the Middle East: In the Shadow of September 11 (Studies on the European Polity)

In the wake of September 11, the European Union proclaimed a new commitment to encouraging processes of political liberalization in the Middle East, and a plethora of initiatives were introduced to that end. Richard Youngs offers a thorough analysis of the policies actually followed by the EU - by national governments, as well as collectively - in the intervening several years. Drawing on official documents and extensive interviews with key policymakers, Youngs assesses EU policies implemented throughout the Middle East: in Iraq, the Maghreb and Mashreq, the Palestinian Territories, the Gulf states, and Turkey. His analysis sheds light not only on the EU's strengths and weaknesses as an international actor, but also on the impact of external factors on political change and on the hotly debated topic of the relationship between democracy and security. Review This is a real contribution, lucidly organized and extremely well informed. It provides the sort of detailed survey of European policies toward the region since 9/11 that simply has not been done elsewhere. - Gerd Nonneman, Lancaster University ""A definitive work, timely and insightful, on the evolution of the EU's and its member states' policies toward the Middle East."" - Robert Springborg, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Synopsis In the wake of September 11, the European Union proclaimed a new commitment to encouraging processes of political liberalization in the Middle East, and a plethora of initiatives were introduced to that end. Richard Youngs offers a thorough analysis of the policies actually followed by the EU - by national governments, as well as collectively - in the intervening several years. Drawing on official documents and extensive interviews with key policymakers, Youngs assesses EU policies implemented throughout the Middle East: in Iraq, the Maghreb and Mashreq, the Palestinian Territories, the Gulf states, and Turkey. His analysis sheds light not only on the EU's strengths and weaknesses as an international actor, but also on the impact of external factors on political change and on the hotly debated topic of the relationship between democracy and security. About the Author Richard Youngs is senior researcher at the FundaciRn para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Dialogo Exterior (FRIDE) and lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Studies at Warwick University.