This study aims to explore a research problematic built on three topical axes, the first being the Maghreb region, situated within the broader context of the Arab world; the second, American foreign policy and grand strategy; and the third, Arab reform and democratisation. Based on an in-depth literature review, the connection between each of these elements will be established using two frameworks of analysis, namely those of comparative politics and foreign policy theory. Despite the vast research on American foreign policy action in the Arab world, curiously, very little relates specifically to the Maghreb. Discussion of the reasons for this gap will help locate the region within the United States’ foreign policy strategy and provide for a better understanding of the relationship cultivated with each of the three Maghreb countries selected for analysis, i.e. Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. In the aftermath of the “Arab Awakening”, which took the world by storm in late 2010, the Arab world’s “democracy gap” and possibilities of democratisation have been at the forefront of current international debate. To contextualize the origins of this momentous popular movement, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria’s past record of reform will be analysed with a view to disclosing the constraints that stunted the advancement of democracy in the Maghreb. By examining these via a comparative national approach, greater insight will be afforded as to the political and historical specificities distinguishing each country and how these shaped their respective paths of reform (or lack thereof). An ensuing evaluation of the character and effectiveness of American democracypromotion efforts will gauge its power as a foreign policy tool, while also clarifying the United States’ shifting objectives in this field. In this regard, the evolution of democracy-promotion under the Bush and subsequent Obama Administrations offers a useful prism to understand the overhaul in American grand strategy that took place following the transition between presidents. Having assessed the extent of reform in the three Maghreb countries under study and the United States’ influence on this process, attention will be directed towards the causes, key events and progression of the Arab transformations thus far. Given that this is a phenomenon still in flux, conclusions will not be attempted; however, a tentative identification of the main emerging trends will provide some hints as to which factors and dynamics should be carefully monitored over the coming months.
Date of Award | Jun 2012 |
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Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Supervisor | Raquel Vaz-Pinto (Supervisor) |
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- Mestrado em Ciências Políticas e Relações Internacionais
From hegemony to collaboration: the Maghreb's sinuous path of reform and the impact of U.S. democracy promotion in the region
Sá, S. E. O. D. S. E. (Student). Jun 2012
Student thesis: Master's Thesis