European Insecurity: Managing Changing Relations at Home and Abroad

• Author: Julie Fraser interviews Dr. M Drent and Dr. B van Ginkel of the Clingendael Institute
• Position: BA, LL.B. (honours), LL.M. (cum laude). External Affairs Editor, Merkourios, Utrecht Journal of International and European Law, 2011-2012
• Pages: 61-66

European Insecurity: Managing Changing Relations at Home

and Abroad

Interviews with Dr. Margriet Drent and Dr. Bibi van Ginkel of the Security and Conict Programme of the Netherlands

Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’

Julie Fraser*

Dr. Margriet Drent is a Senior Research Fellow at the Security and Conict Programme of the Netherlands Institute of International

Relations ‘Clingendael’ and Assistant Professor at the International Relations and International Organisation Department of the

University of Groningen. Dr. Drent’s PhD on the ‘Europeanisation of security’ focused on what is now known as the Common

Security and Defence Policy. She is also a member of the Peace and Security Committee of the Advisory Council on International

Aairs.

‘e Arab

Spring is one of

Europe’s major

challenges.’

Merkourios 2012 – Volume 28/Issue 74, Interview, pp. 61-66.

URN: NBN:NL:UI:10-1-112852

ISSN: 0927-460X

URL: www.merkourios.org

Publisher: Igitur, Utrecht Publishing & Archiving Services

Copyright: this work has been licensed by the Creative Commons Attribution License (3.0)

Interview

I. Revolution in the Neighbourhood:

Europe’s Role in the Arab Spring

Last year witnessed great changes in North Africa

and the Middle East with the large-scale and ongoing

protests of the Arab Spring. Several countries in

the region remain in turmoil, while others rebuild

in the aftermath of revolution. 2012 holds many

challenges for these countries, and especially for the

process of democratic transition in Libya, Egypt

and Tunisia. Dr. Drent, how did Europe react to

the unrest in their backyard and how has Europe’s

security relationship with these countries changed?

Europe has been conspicuously absent from

North Africa. e Arab Spring is one of Europe’s

major challenges, as it is so close to Europe’s

borders and a part of its Neighbourhood Policy.1

* BA, LL.B. (honours), LL.M. (cum laude). External Af-

fairs Editor, Merkourios, Utrecht Journal of Internatio-

nal and European Law, 2011-2012.

e Neighbourhood Policy originally centred

on stability and aimed at developing countries

in the North African region to form a buer

for southern European borders. While Europe

was arguably more critical of the human rights

situations in countries such as Egypt and Libya,

Europe has mostly followed USA policies in the

region. Like the USA, Europe was all too content

for long-standing dictators to ensure stability.

It was only a short while ago that Gadda was

putting up his tents in Paris and paying a visit

to London.

1 e European Neighbourhood Policy was developed

in 2004, with the objective of avoiding the emergence

of new dividing lines between the enlarged EU and its

neighbours and instead strengthening the prosperity,

stability and security of all. e Neighbourhood Policy

is chiey a bilateral policy between the EU and each

partner country, including Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

See further European Union External Action, ‘Euro-

pean Neighbourhood Policy – Overview’, available at

accessed 23

February 2012.

61

Merkourios - International and European Security Law - Vol. 28/74