Abstract:
In several countries of the Middle East and North African region, the "Arab Spring" has given rise to violent contests for power. The European Union is ill-suited to effectively deal with these kinds of crises. By contrast, compared to bilateral actors such as former colonial powers or the United States, the EU has a potential strength when it comes to supporting post-conflict transitions in a way that is less likely to be rejected by domestic actors as illegitimate interference. Because violent crises and post-conflict transitions are strongly interlinked challenges, the European Union needs to deal with its deficits and build on its strengths simultaneously in both conflict phases