European Foreign Policy Towards Hybrid Actors in the Middle East and North Africa: An Exploration of Diplomatic Practices

Abstract

ABSTRACT Diplomacy increasingly demands taking into account a large variety of polities, featuring not only state but also non-state actors (such as IGOs and NGOs) and ‘hybrid’ actors. Particularly in the broader Middle East and North Africa region, hybrid actors are important players in local, regional and international order. The European Union and its Member States have a distinct interest in gaining influence in the geopolitics of the region and are increasingly confronted with these actors in their external actions. Yet, little is known about how European foreign policy practitioners and diplomats deal with hybrid actors in practice. By providing a rich empirical account based on 37 interviews in the context of fieldwork in Brussels and Beirut, this research goes beyond existing analyses of official European policies and discourse towards hybrid actors. Building on recent advancements in practice theory and insights from political geography, the article emphasises the influence of space and the ubiquity of oblique routes shaping European foreign policy practices.