Reform in Comparative Perspective: US and EU Strategies of Democracy Promotion in the MENA Region after 9/11

This article explores the origins of the different transatlantic initiatives in the field of democracy promotion in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, linking them to the international context, actors' interests and means, threat perceptions, and differentiated political cultures. This approach will be complementary to the discussion of the risks and opportunities of having further transatlantic cooperation on these issues. The article argues that, despite a recent history of divergent transatlantic approaches, the potential for further cooperation between the US and the EU is greater nowadays, especially following the failure of the neoconservative policies in Iraq and its destabilizing implications for the entire region. US initiatives appear to be moving towards what has been termed the 'standard template' of democracy promotion efforts, combining traditional grass-roots approaches with government cooperation in a way similar to existing European frameworks, whilst emerging European initiatives may seek to give greater importance to aspects of reform more political in nature.