MENA

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a fragmented region: in spite of its relative cultural and historical homogeneity, it has some of the lowest levels of intra-regional trade, political cooperation and legal migration in the world.

This is largely due to the fact that, since the end of the Second World War, it has experienced the full spectrum of political violence. Conventional, hybrid, and civil wars, revolutions, and terrorism have hindered political and economic development, and created fertile ground for further violence. Breaking this ‘conflict trap’ is imperative for the states of the region, as well as those actors who have a stake in it.

For the EU, the MENA is of strategic importance for three reasons:

it is an immediate geographic neighbour,
a crucial passage for goods traveling to and from Europe (including oil and gas),
and it has been historically unstable.

The region’s security and economic situation is consequently closely intertwined with that of Europe. This explains the Union’s desire to contribute to regional stability through different means such as the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the Barcelona Process and the Union for the Mediterranean.

The EUISS seeks to contribute to the EU’s overall effort in the MENA by providing in-depth analyses on a number of key issues affecting the region.

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19June 2017
What if ... Conceivable crises: unpredictable in 2017, unmanageable in 2020?
Reports
Edited by
Florence Gaub
With contributions from
Aleksandra Tor, Alice Vervaeke, Annelies Pauwels, Daniel Fiott, Julia Lisiecka, Patryk Pawlak, Roderick Parkes, Zoran Nechev, John-Joseph Wilkins
This Report presents a number of grey swan scenarios which are designed to help decision-makers think about possible responses to crises and how they can be prevented.
29May 2017
After the EU Global Strategy – Building resilience
Books
Edited by
Florence Gaub, Nicu Popescu
As well as introducing new decisions and actions in the field of security and defence, the EU Global Strategy (EUGS) stresses the imperative to build resilience in the EU neighbouring countries and surrounding regions.
19May 2017
Security Sector Reform in the Southern Neighbourhood
The seminar discussed a more tailored approach to Security Sector Reform (SSR) in the EU’s South, looking at challenges in the fields of criminal justice, policing, border control, and counter-terrorism.
03May 2017
SMS – After the Arab Spring: what’s changed?
By
Julia Lisiecka
The third edition of the EUISS Security Monthly Stats (SMS) illustrates data linked to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). How has the region changed since the 2011 Arab Spring? And what has been the Union’s response in terms of Official Development Assistance (ODA)?
03May 2017
Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation: what next?
Alerts
By
Julia Lisiecka
Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation, one of the cornerstones of the Oslo Accords, appears to be under threat. What are the reasons behind the current crisis and what could happen if this cooperation falls apart?
12April 2017
The crime-terrorism nexus
Briefs
By
Florence Gaub, Julia Lisiecka
A criminal past is a common, yet often overlooked, characteristic of many European jihadists. This Brief examines the link between petty crime and terrorism, as well as the ways in which criminal experiences shape terrorist actions.
12April 2017
Out of Syria: shifting routes and returns
Alerts
By
Roderick Parkes
As the Syrian conflict grows in complexity, so too do the flows of people inside the country and into the neighbouring region. This Alert identifies three major shifts which will affect migration flows.
22March 2017
Defence industries in Arab states: players and strategies
Chaillot Papers
By
Florence Gaub, Zoe Stanley-Lockman
This Chaillot Paper analyses how Arab states strive to achieve strategic, economic and symbolic goals through indigenous armaments production, with some countries in the region showing a new determination to become more self-reliant in this domain. The paper focuses in particular on how efforts undertaken by Arab states to develop national defence technological and industrial bases (DTIBs) entail new relationships with defence suppliers.
08March 2017
Preventing terrorism in the south
Briefs
By
Annelies Pauwels

To step up the fight against terrorism, the EU is looking to forge closer ties with strategic countries in its Southern Neighbourhood. The Union’s initiatives to set up counter-terrorism dialogues in the region have, however, been met with a hesitant response. How can the EU overcome different interpretations of what effective counter-terrorism should look like?
21October 2016
Civil-military relations in the MENA: between fragility and resilience
Chaillot Papers
By
Florence Gaub
This Chaillot Paper examines the flaws and failures that have so far impeded a more functional and balanced relationship between civilian and military authorities in the Middle East and North Africa. The paper also highlights the importance of security sector reform (SSR) in consolidating the rule of law and, more generally, sustainable systems of governance.

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28October 2015
Hybrid tactics: ISIL & Co.
Alerts
By
Florence Gaub
The last in a mini-series of EUISS publications on hybrid warfare, the Alert assesses the tactics employed by terrorist groups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) such as ISIL. How do they differ from those of state actors in other parts of the world?
22October 2015
Turkey’s refugee politics
Alerts
By
Roderick Parkes
This Alert takes a look at the successes and failures of Turkish refugee policy. What domestic factors are driving the debate in Ankara? And what do Turkish policymakers want and expect from the EU?
12October 2015
Stuck in the barracks: the Joint Arab Force
Briefs
By
Florence Gaub
This Brief explores the failure of the Arab League to make good on its desire to create a Joint Arab Force (JAF). What went wrong with the proposal? And is the project now doomed?
24September 2015
On target? EU sanctions as security policy tools
Reports
By
José Luengo-Cabrera, Iana Dreyer
With contributions from
Sara Bazoobandi, Thomas Biersteker, Richard Connolly, Francesco Giumelli, Clara Portela, Stanislav Secrieru, Peter Seeberg, Peter A.G. van Bergeijk
This Report, the outcome of an EUISS Task Force on sanctions, offers valuable insight into a practice that is now part and parcel of the Union's ‘security’ policy toolbox. It aims to shed more light on an EU policy area that is still under-researched at a time when sanctions are becoming more important in terms of their number, scale and political salience.
23July 2015
Adding fuel to the fire? Arming the Kurds
Alerts
By
Jan Joel Andersson, Florence Gaub
The decision by EU member states – and others – to supply the Iraqi Kurds with weapons in the face of an onslaught by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seems logical. But what unintended future consequences could this have?
26June 2015
Counterinsurgency: not an Arab specialty
Briefs
By
Florence Gaub
When it comes to counterinsurgencies, violence merely begets violence. So what exactly is needed to successfully tackle insurgents? And why is it that Arab governments and militaries have such a poor track record in this domain?
26June 2015
The dark side of the web: ISIL’s one-stop shop?
Alerts
By
Beatrice Berton
With law enforcement agencies pooling resources to counter ISIL's online propaganda, this Alert seeks to raise awareness of the jihadists’ use of the so-called ‘Dark Web’, the hidden underbelly of the little explored Deep Web.
12June 2015
Arab parliaments: better than their reputation?
Alerts
By
Florence Gaub, Beatrice Berton
At first sight, Arab parliaments seem to have reverted back to their pre-2011 role as empty shells, rubber-stamping the government’s decisions. This Alert, however, reveals a more nuanced state of affairs whereby Arab parliamentarians in some countries are – slowly – growing into their roles.
17April 2015
Whatever happened to Yemen’s army?
Briefs
By
Florence Gaub
This Brief takes a look at the implosion of Yemen’s armed forces, and how this has exacerbated the already dire security situation in the country. It seeks to underline the complexity of the dynamics on the ground, proving that the causes of Yemen’s woes go beyond over-simplistic explanations based on sectarian antagonisms.
10April 2015
Lebanon’s civil war: seven lessons forty years on
Alerts
By
Florence Gaub
It is now four decades since the outbreak of Lebanon’s civil war. But with similar conflicts spreading across the Middle East, the country’s tragic history can still provide useful lessons on how to end such violence.

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16September 2010
The challenge of Middle East peace and regional security: should we change the strategy?
This preparatory seminar for the EU-Washington Forum 2010 focused on understanding the deadlock and connections in the Middle East Peace Process and on considering alternative options for conflict resolution in the US and EU for the Arab-Israeli conflict and resolving the stand-off with Iran.
02July 2010
The EU and the Middle East peace process: between pessimism and optimism
This EUISS taskforce took place in Paris and focused on the EU's strategy towards the Middle East Peace Process and what policy options are available to it in the ongoing situation.
18June 2010
CSDP and Turkey
Organised with the support of the Instituto Español de Estudos Estratégicos (Spanish Ministry of Defence), Middle East Technical University (METU, Ankara) and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this seminar explored Turkey's role in CSDP operations and ways ahead for future cooperation.
09February 2010
Iran Working Group Meeting
Examining and analysing Iranian domestic developments and the way ahead for EU-Iran relations, this working group meeting took place at the EUISS in Paris on 9 February 2010.
11December 2009
Turkey and the ESDP: towards enhanced cooperation?
The EUISS co-hosted the second Seminar on Turkey and the ESDP at Bosphorus University in Istanbul on 11 December 2009. The debate centred on the assumption that an open CSDP is not only a viable idea, but could also constitute a suitable framework for enhanced security cooperation with third countries in a multipolar world.
30March 2009
Lessons learned and strategic thinking after the Gaza crisis EU and MEPP Task Force meeting
The EUISS organised a one-day Task Force which focused on the situation on the ground after the Gaza crisis; European actors; European policy instruments; and perspectives from different EU institutions.
26January 2009
Barcelona 2010 Euro-Mediterranean relations Bilateral and multilateral dynamics: what synergies?
The EUISS organised a seminar to consider what relations should be established between the bilateral and multilateral dimensions of Euro-Mediterranean relations to pursue the July 2008 Paris Summit objective, and what agenda Euro-Mediterranean relations should have in the perspective of Barcelona 2010.
14March 2008
European Security and Defence Policy: Dialogue between the EU and its Mediterranean partners
This high-level seminar held in Rabat in partnership with the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation examined Morocco's relationship with ESDP, including Moroccan involvement in EU and other peacekeeping missions to date, and priorities for cooperation between the EU and its Mediterranean partners.
07March 2008
The Mediterranean Union Initiative and the Barcelona Process
The Institute hosted a roundtable discussion where participants discussed the French-led proposal for a Union for the Mediterranean, revisited the principles, achievements and challenges of the existing Barcelona Process, and assessed evolving Euro-Mediterranean challenges.
29October 2007
Peace in the Middle East: is there a way forward?
This event sought to foster a a transatlantic dialogue on the key questions for a negotiated solution: Palestinian politics; the regional context (including Iran); and the respective roles of the EU and the US in promoting the peace process.

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