THE EFFECT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION’S SOUTHERN NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY ON THE TUNISIAN DEMOCRATIZATION PROCESS

Abstract

Tunisia is one of the unique Muslim-dominated countries in the world that holds strong ties to the European Union (EU) of all natures. The country’s imprint of international politics expanded during the Arab Spring process in late 2010. Although the process did not end up with the democratization of the region or Tunisia’s full transition into democracy, it became a historic turning point in breaking clichés about Muslim people’s reluctance to embrace democracy and liberal values. While past studies scrutinized the internal dynamics of this change, the external facet of the transformative Jasmine Revolution remains largely unexplored. In that sense, this study aims to question the role of the EU in advancing a solid democracy in Tunisia focusing on the Brussels’ Southern Neighborhood Policy in Tunis from 2011 to 2015. This study contributes to ongoing debates about the effectiveness of external actors in promoting democratic reforms and stability in non-EU countries and seeks to study the change in the interplay between the two political entities.

Keywords

• Tunisia
• Democratization
• Jasmine Revolution
• European Union
• Southern Neighborhood Policy

AVRUPA BİRLİĞİ’NİN GÜNEY KOMŞULUK POLİTİKASININ TUNUS’UN DEMOKRATİKLEŞME SÜRECİNE ETKİSİ

Abstract

Tunus, Avrupa Birliği (AB) ile birçok yönden güçlü bağları olan dünyada Müslümanların çoğunlukta olduğu az sayıdaki ülkelerden birisidir. Ülkenin uluslararası politikadaki etkisi, 2010 yılı sonlarında başlayan Arap Baharı süreciyle birlikte artmıştır. Süreç, bölgenin demokratikleşmesiyle ya da Tunus’un tam anlamıyla demokrasiye geçişiyle sonuçlanmasa da, Müslüman halkların bu konuda isteksiz olduğu yönündeki ön yargıların kırılması açısından tarihi bir dönüm noktası oldu. Geçmiş çalışmalar, büyük ölçüde bu değişimin iç dinamiklerini incelerken, bölgede dönüştürücü bir etki yaratan Yasemin (Tunus) Devrimi’nin dış boyutu halen büyük ölçüde keşfedilmemiş durumdadır. Bu anlamda, bu çalışma, AB’nin Tunus’ta 2011’den 2015’e kadar uyguladığı Güney Komşuluk Politikası’na odaklanarak, Tunus’ta sağlam bir demokrasinin geliştirilmesinde Brüksel’in rolünü sorgulamayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, ayrıca, AB üyesi olmayan ülkelerde demokratik reformları ve istikrarı teşvik eden aktörleri ve iki siyasi oluşum arasında oluşan etkileşimdeki değişimi de incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Keywords

• Tunus
• Demokratikleşme
• Yasemin Devrimi
• AB
• Güney Komşuluk Politikası

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