EU Support of Polyarchy? The Case of Morocco

Abstract

Drawing from theories of democracy, democratization and revolutions, the article examines the role of the EU in supporting democracy in Morocco in the period leading up to, during and in the immediate aftermath of the country’s Arab Spring protests. It indicates that the EU did not induce reluctant elites to reform or split, did not empower social movements and civil society, and only moderately contributed to the rise of favourable modernization socio-economic conditions in the country. At the same time, certain mediating factors, such as the monarchical, Islamic and hybrid nature of the Moroccan regime, the weaknesses of the 20 February Movement and civil society, unfavourable domestic revolutionary conditions and a diminished EU leverage over Moroccan elites, further undermined the EU’s ability to support democracy. Thus, the article argues that the EU’s contributions in Morocco during this period do not amount to the support of deep democracy but that of polyarchy. This has broader implications as to how we understand the EU as an external democracy supporter, external democracy support, and how democracy comes about in un-democratic societies.