What Can Pro-Democracy Activists in Arab Countries Expect from the European Union? Lessons from the Union’s Relations with Israel

The European Union (EU) considers itself a normative power that disseminates and helps uphold universal human rights norms and values and promotes global democratization. Within the context of the Arab Awakening, it is crucial to examine to what extent the pro-democracy activists in the Southern neighborhood can rely on the EU to provide political and economic support for their cause. In other words, can the Egyptian, Tunisian, and Syrian pro-democracy movements expect Europe to adopt a proactive stance that will help ensure democratic governance and the protection of human rights? Or will the EU prefer policies that encourage domestic stability and risk reduction in these Arab countries at the expense of processes that may be unstable but may also strengthen the democratization process?