Europe and the Arab Spring

摘要

The European Union and the United States, taken by surprise by the sudden outbreak of the Arab Spring, have had to accept their lack of influence over these revolutionary upheavals. They may assist or obstruct, but they cannot determine the course of events. This applies even to Libya. Without NATO's intervention, it would certainly have taken much longer to oust the Gadhafi regime. Whether Libya, however, remains divided or spirals into anarchy, whether the outcome will be a new dictatorship, some kind of tribal confederation or the emergence of a democratic system, will be decided by Libyans, not by Europe or NATO.