The role of the European Union in the democratization of post-military regimes

In the recent years there has been a discussion on the mechanisms of democratization and the European Union’s contribution to this process. Furthermore it has been studied how military-regimes, have had an impact on the stability of a new young democracy. However, it has not explained, to what extent the European Union can contribute to prevent an authoritarian reversal and tackle the challenges that young democracies with a military legacy have to face. This thesis seeks to analyze whether the European Union has prevented the risk of an authoritarian reversal in post-military regimes. This project aims to bridge theories on democratization of military regimes with theories on how organizations such as the European Union, contribute to the prevention of an authoritarian reversal. In order to answer the research question, the case of Myanmar from 2011 until 2015 has been analyzed. The analysis of the democratization in Myanmar showed that all the policies of the EU have not...Show moreIn the recent years there has been a discussion on the mechanisms of democratization and the European Union’s contribution to this process. Furthermore it has been studied how military-regimes, have had an impact on the stability of a new young democracy. However, it has not explained, to what extent the European Union can contribute to prevent an authoritarian reversal and tackle the challenges that young democracies with a military legacy have to face. This thesis seeks to analyze whether the European Union has prevented the risk of an authoritarian reversal in post-military regimes. This project aims to bridge theories on democratization of military regimes with theories on how organizations such as the European Union, contribute to the prevention of an authoritarian reversal. In order to answer the research question, the case of Myanmar from 2011 until 2015 has been analyzed. The analysis of the democratization in Myanmar showed that all the policies of the EU have not specifically tackled the challenges which have been caused by Myanmar’s military legacy. In order to effectively contribute to a more successful consolidation of a democracy, the external agent should focus more on the context, in which the country is democratizing.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

The role of the European Union in the democratization of post-military regimes