What The People Want: Understanding the EU's Mediterranean Challenges

The EU’s external relations with Mediterranean partners have faced broadly similar cha- llenges since the 1990s: creating an area of democracy and shared prosperity requires reforms which produce both political and economic inclusion. These are the ingredients of long-term stability, prosperity and peace. In 2010-11, protesters across the Arab world famously chanted ’the people want the down- fall of the regime’ (ash-sha’b yureed isqaat an-nizaam). This chapter outlines what people across several Arab countries want from policymakers: what their priorities are, what mo- tivates them to protest, why governments lose legitimacy, and how they perceive the EU. Understanding these priorities is crucial to the long-term success of any EU Mediterranean policy.