German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)
Location
Hamburg
Abstract
In the Middle East and North Africa, EU foreign policy has tended to prioritise regime stability over democratisation. Existing research has argued that this could create anti‐European sentiment in the respective populations. However, empirical evidence on the relationship between the EU’s stance towards regime change and citizen attitudes remains rare. Focusing on Morocco and Egypt, this study uses a mixed‐methods approach, combining qualitative case studies with original survey data to examine whether the EU’s divergent responses to the 2011 uprisings in these two countries are mirrored in regime opponents’ support for EU cooperation.
The legacy of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq left its imprint on successor regimes post-2003 in terms of institutions, policies, and infrastructures. How to address these development challenges while also ensuring continued political stability is the task now facing both domestic and international partners.
