Europe, Méditerranée, monde arabe : une nouvelle donne ?

Abstract

Europe, the Mediterranean and the Arabic world : a new axis of cooperation ? Within the last fifteen years, the reinvigoration of the cultural exchanges between the two coasts of the Mediterranean had given hope of a new horizon - beyond the conflicting viewpoints of the past. A more egalitarian dialogue had seemed to have taken form between Europe and the Arabic Mediterranean countries, with Turkey at the head. During the Barcelona Conference in 1995, the Europeans had proposed a stable framework for the Euro-Mediterranean relations, calling for the long-term consolidation and diversification of common interests... But this framework quickly revealed its weaknesses. Eight years after Barcelona, disappointment and doubt have overtaken earlier optimism. Adding to this the disaster in Yugoslavia and the still smoldering nationalistic flames that the conflict created - the European Union’s goal has become the creation a sense of inclusion for the incoming member countries. The endless refusal for justice in Palestine and the second intervention in Iraq have confirmed the frustrating conclusion that military force too often wins out over international law. Now more than ever, the United States leads the show and the divided Europeans are judged to be either powerless or willing accomplices.