Publication

For the last two decades, the EU has sent mixed signals concerning democracy and human rights to its Mediterranean neighborhood. Has this changed since the outbreak of the Arab Spring? After observing the EU’s response to the revolutions in two key countries, Tunisia and Egypt, this paper finds that signaling to Tunisia has become more coherent, while it remains ambiguous towards Egypt - a trend reinforced by US foreign policy in the region. The author concludes by advancing policy recommendations on how more effective signalling could take place.