The south shore of the Mediterranean isn't eastern Europe

For political scientist Antoine Basbous, director of the Observatory of Arab countries, the Union for the Mediterranean (UPM) won't lead to the democratisation of the countries to the south and east of the Sea. "Let's not delude ourselves, [these countries] don't resemble in any way the eastern European countries that were liberated from the USSR and adopted the liberal a 'ready-made' democratic model. Despite the communist yoke, civil societies in the east aspired to western values. ... The two shores [of the Mediterranean] don't always hold the same cultural and religious values, and their leaders don't nurture the same political destinies. ... The principal preoccupation of these leaders isn't integration in the democratic club, but enshrining their regimes. ... [They] would like to 'gather' European financial contributions without having to change the daily lives of their population, nor reform their governments."

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