Democratization in EU Foreign Policy: New member states as drivers of democracy promotion (Democratization and Autocratization Studies)

New democracies are uniquely positioned to promote democratic values and have a competitive advantage in the global democracy assistance industry. This book examines the attempts of one group of young democracies, from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), to channel this pro-democracy agenda into both national and European foreign policy and development support. It looks at how CEE is ‘upstream’ changing the EU on crucial policy issues as part of the common foreign and security policy. Furthermore, it tracks the process whereby imported ideas and norms are recycled for further export ‘downstream’, and how these concepts are received in countries outside of the EU including the post-Soviet space, the Western Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa region and Central Asia. This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of democratisation studies, European Union studies, comparative politics, international relations, international development, European politics, as well as area/regional studies. Cover 1 Title 6 Copyright 7 Dedication 8 Contents 10 List of contributors 12 Foreword 16 Acknowledgements 18 PART I Theory and overview 20 1 Introduction: democratisation of EU foreign policy? The role of new member states from Central and Eastern Europe 22 2 Trade and freedom or trading freedom? How strategic and normative interests shape foreign policy and democracy assistance in Central and Eastern Europe 29 PART II CEE and the EU 54 3 Central and Eastern European transition experience: a depoliticisation of democracy aid? 56 4 From the ‘colour revolutions’ to the Arab Awakening: EU approaches to democracy promotion and the rising influence of CEE states 80 5 European Endowment for Democracy: institutionalising CEE approach to democracy promotion at the EU level? 102 6 Central and Eastern European EU member states’ involvement in the EU’s democracy promotion in Central Asia 121 PART III Case studies of democracy assistance in third countries 146 7 From democracy assistance to importing transition experience: the case of post-Soviet local government and defence reforms 148 8 Subtle Europeanisers: Czech and Slovak advocacy and assistance strategy in the Western Balkans 176 9 Re-packaging the transition know-how? Central and Eastern European democracy assistance in the Arab world 196 10 Conclusion: Central and Eastern European states’ foreign policy and democracy promotion agenda in transition 215 Index 220 New member states as drivers of democracy promotion New democracies are uniquely positioned to promote democratic values and have a competitive advantage in the global democracy assistance industry. This book examines the attempts of one group of young democracies, from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), to channel this pro-democracy agenda into both national and European foreign policy and development support. It looks at how CEE is 'upstream' changing the EU on crucial policy issues as part of the common foreign and security policy. Furthermore, it tracks the process whereby imported ideas and norms are recycled for further export 'downstream', and how these concepts are received in countries outside of the EU including the post-Soviet space, the Western Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa region and Central Asia.-- Provided by publisher