'Global North' interventions in MENA region: a post-development critical analysis

The first conceptual clarification that seems necessary to offer is the definition of terms like ‘Global North’ and ‘Global South’ which will be recurring concepts within the present analysis. The former refers to both Western historically hegemonic nations and non-Western colonized but powerful ruling elites, while the latter stands for both exploited ethnic, or social minorities in strong countries and historically colonized weaker nations. Thus, the terms ‘Global South’ and ‘Global North’ are not merely geographic concepts, they are used to distinguish ruling countries, both geopolitically and economically influent, from the traditionally exploited ones. However, for the purpose of the present analysis, the term ‘Global North’ will be employed to describe mainly Western countries, which share the same economic, political, and social features, and which present themselves as model to countries characterized by different economic structures and various growth rates. Therefore, this work aims at examining, through a critical perspective, the Western ‘development programs’ implemented by the international bodies vis-à-vis North African and Middle Eastern countries. Both European Union’s actions and the interventions of the International Financial Institutions are being analyzed, following an historical-conceptual path, and through the support of theoretical frameworks. Reference case study will be provided in order to examine causes and effects of Western interventions in MENA (North Africa and Middle East) region, highlighting both their strength and weaknesses. The overall objective of this research is to confront and emphasize the differences between mainstream development theories and post-colonial alternative approaches; through a deep analysis of those paradigms, it would be possible to assess which may be the most appropriate perspective that could be take into consideration when dealing with cooperation and dialogue between Western countries and MENA region.