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What do Chileans think of the Armed Forces since the death of Augusto Pinochet? This is one of the questions which is tackled by “Captive Institutions"

 

 

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The Transnational Terrorism, Security and the Rule of Law (TTSRL) project is aimed at framing the current nature of the threat of terrorism as it exists within the EU, and at generating insight into the various response options to terrorism that are available to European governments.

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International trends / Comment

Europe, USA and Middle East

12/06/2008 By Mariano Aguirre Ernst

El Presidente de Líbano, Michel Sleiman y Nicolás Sarkozy. (GERARD CERLES/AFP/Getty Images)

The opening of negotiations between Syria and Israel over the Golan Heights and the appointment of a new president in Lebanon are both important political developments for the Middle East. But despite these facts, the region remains devastated by conflicts that demand an urgent change in the policies of both the United Status and the European Union. Forthcoming events in 2009, in both the US and the EU, open certain possibilities.

After eights years of blunders in the Middle East, the new US presidency will have an opportunity. There is a generalised consensus that the country has lost influence and legitimacy in the region thanks to the invasion of Iraq and the failure of the war there, not to mention its unconditional support for Israel, and a democracy promotion project which amounted to supporting allied regimes and boycotting any elections won by Islamist parties.

Mariano Aguirre argues that Europe and the US could collaborate in helping states to reform. They must, however, take on board the complexity of a region which is bound by its colonial history, the demands on its energy resources, migration, terrorism, and political and commercial relations.

 


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Keywords

Civil society Democracy promotion EU Foreign Policy European Union Israel Middle East Peace Political Reform Syria United States

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Bio author: Mariano Aguirre Ernst

Mariano Aguirre has been Director of the Centro de Investigación para la Paz, in Madrid, and Coordinator of programmes on peace and conflicts at the Ford Foundation, in New York. Mariano Aguirre publishes articles in various media in Spain and internationally such as OpenDemocracy, Le monde diplomatique, El Correo, La Vanguardia, Maniere de voir, AlertNet, Enjeux Internationaux, Temas, El País, Política Exterior, Debate, BBC World Service, Radio Netherland, Radio Nacional de España, Radio France International, Mediterranean Politics and CNN Spain.