| Review of: | Europe and the Middle East in the Shadow of September 11 by R. Youngs |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Ralph Gert Schoellhammer |
| Reviewed in: | Journal of Common Market Studies |
| Date accepted online: | 02/11/2007 |
| Published in print: | Volume 45, Issue 2, Pages 515-533 |
Book Reviews
In this comprehensive and engaging overview of European involvement in the Middle East since 9/11, Richard Youngs explores the political willingness and the actual capabilities of the European Union and its Member States to play an active role in the stabilization and democratization of this crisis-ridden region. Drawing information from extensive interviews with top-policymakers from both national governments and the EU, the book is based on six case studies, which investigate European policies towards Iraq, Iran, Palestine and Turkey in detail, as well as a general overview of the European engagement in the Maghreb and Mashreg region and the Arabian Peninsula.
Compared to the policies of the United States, the European approach towards the Middle East did not change significantly after the attacks of 11 September. For most European nations and the EU itself, the attacks did not cause a general shift in its policy towards the Middle East, but sharpened its guiding principles. The main tools of European policy for promoting political change were cultural exchange and economic liberalization. These means, according to Youngs, rarely triggered real political change nor did they strengthen the democratic movements within the area. The European Union, which tried to counterbalance the policies of the Bush administration and to promote democracy and stability via a tightening of co-operation in the Middle East, had to face the fact that the United States' explicit rhetorical commitment to democratization was more present in the new political reform debates throughout the Middle East than the EU's careful talk of 'shared norms and values'. But still, the European potential for engagement in the region should not be underestimated. The European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy is under a permanent process of development and improvement, and the Middle East, as the author emphasizes, was a case which particularly illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of European foreign policy co-ordination and action.
Richard Youngs provides an excellent assessment of how European policies work in practice and what the future challenges for the EU in the Middle East will be. His book will prove to be extremely valuable to those interested in European involvement in Middle East politics, and in European Foreign and Security Policy in general.