![]() ![]() However, across the region’s many flashpoints, Europeans are largely bystanders – with the Syrian war a prime example of this. With the region in desperate need of a stabilising and reforming influence, and the United States increasingly uninterested in involving itself in the region’s problems, one might have expected the EU and its member states to take up a prominent role in support of these twin objectives. Together, these factors have contributed to the rise of populist nationalist parties that have shaken the foundations of Europe’s political systems. This has been accompanied by terrorist operations across European cities carried out by the Islamic State group (ISIS), an organisation that grew out of conflict and state collapse in Syria and Iraq. Chief among these has been the displacement of millions of people seeking protection from violent conflict, many of whom have sought refuge in Europe. The European Union and, in any coordinated fashion, its member states are today essentially nowhere to be seen on the series of interlinked regional crises that have such a powerful impact on their interests. Meanwhile, the upheaval has created openings for increased external interference and fed the forces of extremism and destabilisation. The Middle East and north Africa appear destined for further discord and upheaval in the coming years – reflecting the core reality that the political, economic, and social drivers of the 2011 uprisings remain as strong as ever. Popular discontent has provoked large-scale public protests in Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Sudan – and it simmers elsewhere in the region. The central authorities look increasingly shaky in several other countries too. Today, civil wars rage in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. This failure has often come at a high cost for Europeans. Despite its considerable economic and political partnerships with regional players, Europe has been unable to influence the major shifts that have taken place. The region has been in flux since the wave of Arab uprisings began in 2011, experiencing revolutionary movements, the end and reassertion of authoritarian rule, and repeated attempts by established elites to crack down on agents of change. Yet their influence in the region has never been weaker. Turmoil in the Middle East and north Africa directly affects Europeans. ![]()
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