ПЕРЕОСМЫСЛЕНИЕ «АРАБСКОЙ ВЕСНЫ»: ЗАПАДНЫЕ АНАЛИТИКИ О ПОЛИТИКЕ ЕС В ЮЖНОМ СРЕДИЗЕМНОМОРЬЕ

The article discusses the policy of the European Union (EU) in the Mediterranean region, which has a long history and is shaped by diverse interests. It is based on the Barcelona process built on principles of interstate cooperation. Focusing on why the EU has failed to react correctly to the first events of the Arab spring (wave of demonstrations and coups that began in the Arab world on 18 December 2010 in Tunisia), and seeking to evaluate the potential effects of these events such as spreading of popular unrest, riots (which in some cases escalated into civil war and regime change) throughout the entire Mediterranean region, the author examines the Western experts’ reinterpretation of Mediterranean policy of the EU under the impact of the events of the Arab spring, as well as their proposals for the development of important conceptual approaches to this region.