Abstract
The beginning of this decade was anything but business as usual. The spring of 2011 was a tipping point, showing that big, even unexpected changes do happen. The glass was neither half empty nor half full. It was full. People in the Middle East refused to obey their autocratic rulers. They were driven by a demand for a better life in a free society, a demand that had been growing for decades. Their protests have destabilised a number of autocratic regimes in the region, beginning with uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, and continuing to Libya, where civil war erupted. Even though the outcome of these dramatic events is still unknown, at least one thing is clear. The human desire for freedom is natural, permanent and above all universal, as are our deep-rooted values.
For too long, Europe quietly accepted the status quo for the sake of security and stability, while seemingly forgetting the great importance of fundamental values. Democracy in the Arab world is no doubt on the move and the prospects for progress, stability and security are indeed far greater with a democratic Middle East. But those who have risked their lives in the battle for their own freedom could accuse us of having been too slow to understand, to speak out, to act and to support change. We who believe in freedom must not rest but instead rise to the challenge and help those striving for democracy to overcome obstacles on the way to a new, democratic era. We have the instrument—the European Neighbourhood Policy. But this policy needs to be reformed and based on conditionality. It also must strike a balance between its southern and eastern dimensions in order to manage the winds of change not only in the Mediterranean, but in the entire European neighbourhood.
But not only the neighbours of Europe are living in challenging times. The crisis in Europe, with several economies collapsing and in need of bailouts, has allowed EU leaders no time to enjoy the first days of sunshine. The urgent economic situation, the dramatic events unfolding in North Africa and the severe earthquake and ensuing nuclear crisis in Japan forced leaders to convene for a number of spring summits where they were faced with difficult decisions demanding courage and foresight. Not all their decisions were well-received, and ‘citizens in anger’ took to the streets to protest against austerity measures or other actions of the EU and national governments. It remains to be seen how this wave of new protests in the West is going to develop in the future. But contrary to the protesters in the Middle East, those in the West, in the words of one contributor to this issue of European View, do not fear the status quo—what they fear is change. Yet we must understand that in the future, things will not be the same as they were in the past. The ‘old’ well-established Western democracies are also entering a new phase with a different face. This is a phase when ‘democracies of trust’ are being replaced by ‘democracies of mistrust’; when the Internet and other technologies are playing an ever more prominent role in politics while providing a sense of connectedness; when sensitive or even secret information is being made public.
However, what should always remain with us is our belief in freedom, the rule of law, justice, equality and solidarity. An alliance of values that are shared on both sides of the Atlantic should be the main source of our strength and inspiration when facing the changes of this decade.
In keeping with these changes, this issue of European View also comes to you with a new face. I wish you an enjoyable and inspiring read!