Publication

This publication assesses the positive and negative impacts of the conclusion of the Association Agreement between the EU and Syria and offers policy recommendations for the EU to ensure that this Agreement serves the EU's strategic interests in the Middle East. The author outlines the development of the Agreement with reference to the European Neighborhood Policy and the Barcelona Process. She places relations with Syria in a historical and political context before discussing Syria as a semi-rentier authoritarian state faced with economic stagnation as a result of unfinished economic liberalization.