Item Details
Skip Navigation Links
   ActiveUsers:2296Hits:20990607Skip Navigation Links
Show My Basket
Contact Us
IDSA Web Site
Ask Us
Today's News
HelpExpand Help
Advanced search

In Basket
  Journal Article   Journal Article
 

ID190701
Title ProperStaying safe by being good? the EU's normative decline as a security actor in the Middle East
LanguageENG
AuthorSkare, Erik
Summary / Abstract (Note)The European Union's cooperation with Middle Eastern regimes to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism has received increased scholarly attention following several terrorist attacks in Europe the last decade. Despite the EU's emphasis on good governance, democracy, and human rights to prevent violent extremism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), I argue that the Union is in fact declining as a ‘normative power’ as it has prioritised a ‘security first’ centred approach. This article demonstrates how the EU's normative projects have, first, appropriated a logic of securitisation; and second, how the Union downplays democracy and good governance in fear of alienating authoritarian key partners in the region. There are consequently inherent limitations to, and contradictions in, the EU's Counter-Terrorism (CT) and Preventing Violent Extremism (PvE) efforts. These conclusions are based on interviews with EU representatives and implementing partners on the ground. The interviews are complemented by an analysis of the scope and focus of the EU's CT and PvE projects. The findings have implications for our understanding of normative powers’ priorities when facing a perceived dilemma of choosing between its security, on the one hand, and its identity and value aspirations, on the other.
`In' analytical NoteEuropean Journal of International Security Vol. 8, No.3; Aug 2023: p.337 - 353
Journal SourceEuropean Journal of International Security Vol: 8 No 3
Key WordsTerrorism ;  European Union ;  Normative Power ;  Securitisation ;  MENA ;  CT/PvE


 
 
Media / Other Links  Full Text