Promoting democracy in Algeria: the EU factor and the preferences of the political elite

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse the reasons for the shortcomings of the EU as an agent of democracy promotion in Algeria. Instead of focusing solely on the EU, the study proposes that it was the interaction between EU-level problems and domestic, political factors which led to the shortcomings of the EU's conditionality in Algeria. The security priorities, the potential threat of Islam, and the perceived potential of instability resulting from democratization made the EU less eager to apply conditionality for political change in Algeria. The preferences and interests of France and the way in which the Mediterranean partners are perceived by the EU also affected the EU's impact at the domestic level. However, the powers and choices of the political elite (especially the army and the president) are argued to be the major determinants of the EU's impact, as this elite controls the channels through which the EU seeks to influence the democratization of Algerian politics. The main argument advanced in this study is that it was the simultaneous processes of re-definition of the security concerns at the EU level and the empowerment of the authoritarian elite in Algeria, which led to the shortcomings of the EU's conditionality for democratization.