Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Economics and Political Science - Department of Political Science

The importance of the study is driven from analyzing and understanding the role of the civil society and the political transition in Egypt after the 2011 revolution within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean relations. In order to study the cooperation of the EU with Egypt, one should take into account the overall strategy and policy of the cooperation between the EU and Mediterranean countries. Thus, the thesis investigates the EU{u2019}s mechanisms towards promoting democracy through strengthening the civil society in the South Mediterranean beforeand after the 2011 uprising. Throughout the Egyptian history, civil society has been developed under controlled environment. Despite the fact that Egypt embraces a large number of civil society organizations, these organizations have a long history in struggling with governments for their existence. Despite the pressure imposed throughout the history by the state toward civil society{u2019}s activists in several ways, such as adopting restrictive laws, damaging their reputation, detaining young activists, andaccusing them of being enemies who work to destabilize the state, civil society in Egypt found their way not only to sustain but also to push for change. In this framework, the thesis studies five historical phases, explaining the background and the context of civil society development in Egypt and the challenges CSOs face before and after the January 25th uprising as well as the consequences of the political transition in Egypt. Since the Arab uprising of 2011, the assistance provided by the EU nominally targeted more resources to reinforce democratic movement in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

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