Authors: Peter Seeberg and Jan Claudius Völkel
Affiliation: University of Southern Denmark
Organization/Publisher: Mediterranean Politics, Routledge
Date/Place: May 31, 2020/ UK
Type of Literature: Journal Article
Number of Pages: 14
Link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13629395.2020.1758451?needAccess=true
Keywords: Arab Responses; EU Foreign and Security Policy Incentives; Historical Institutionalism; Migration Diplomacy; Institutionalized Flexibility
Brief:
The European Union (EU) launched its initiative of EU Global Strategy (EUGS) in 2016 proposed by Federica Mogherini, High representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The objectives of EUGS were to secure the peripheries of the EU and enhance the security apparatus of EU neighboring states affected by the Arab Spring followed by westward mass migration. This article analyzes the level of cooperation between the EU and four Mediterranean states, Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco from the lens of historical institutionalism approach. All four above-mentioned countries have different migratory policies depending upon their strategic environment. According to this study, the authoritarian regimes willingly cooperated with the EU for the sake of financial benefits and internal economic sustainability. Moreover, authoritarian regimes were sustained in these countries even post-Arab Spring by maneuvering in three dimensions, i.e. restoration, transformation, or adaptation. Therefore, modification in migration policy became a chance to achieve domestic and international acceptance. With the exception of Algeria, all three Mediterranean states signed agreements with the EU over migration policies to restrict the refugee influx. Cooperation between the EU and Algeria is relatively low because of later claims that all proposed programs are one-sided. The study concludes that all four case studies reflect the institutional flexibility that the EU has adopted for its offshore polices, previously seen during the integration of CEECs (Central Eastern European Countries) and the viability of the EUGS to cope with the refugee
By: Muhammad Taimoor Bin Tanveer, CIGA Research Associate
