Arab Political Currents, Arab-European Relations and Mediterraneanism

Abstract

This chapter is divided into two sections. In the first, I examine the recent development of ideological and political currents in the Arab world with the purpose of understanding their current outlines and future course; in the second, I look at the pattern of Arab-European cultural interaction with the purpose of understanding Arab perceptions of Mediterranean relations and the possibilities for developing a more mutually-understanding Mediterranean discourse. Although the first part may seem somewhat independent from the second, an understanding of general currents of Arab political thought and political change is necessary for contextualizing the Arab perception of Mediterraneanism and the future of Arab-European relations.