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Timothy Garton Ash Favors EU Engagement to Promote Democracy in the Arab World

Since the US seems to have retreated momentarily from its promotion of democracy in the Arab world, Timothy Garton Ash sees an opportunity for broader European engagement in the region. Problems in Iraq have particularly slowed down the recent US push for rapid democratization in Egypt. The new EU-Egypt Action plan outlines an alternative strategy for cooperation within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. Presented by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, this new plan could provide the groundwork to stop Mubarak’s antidemocratic moves, although the danger persists that this may remain merely “a paper façade.”