Dr Dimitris Bouris is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam and a Jean Monnet Chair "The EU as a Global Actor" (ATHENA). He is an Associate Editor of the academic journal European Security and a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Natolin). He is also the leader and coordinator of the EU-Middle East Jean Monnet Network EUMENIA (www.eumenia.eu). Dr Bouris is a co-leader of the Europe in the World theme of the Amsterdam Centre for European Studies (ACES), an Academic Board member of the Amsterdam Centre for Middle Eastern Studies (ACMES), an Academic Council Member of the European Neighbourhood Council and a non-resident fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy ELIAMEP.

Dr Bouris holds a BA in Political Science (University of Crete), a MA in International Politics/International Relations (University of Manchester) and a PhD in Politics and International Studies (University of Warwick). His research focus lies at the intersection of International Relations (IR theory, peacebuilding, state-building, security sector reform, conflict resolution), EU Studies (EU External Relations, EU Common Security and Defence Policy) and Middle East and North Africa Studies (with a particular focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Libya).  

Dr Bouris is the author of “The European Union and Occupied Palestinian Territories: State-building without a State” (Routledge, 2014). Dimitris is also the co-editor (with Tobias Schumacher) of the “Revised European Neighbourhood Policy: Continuity and Change in EU Foreign Policy” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and the co-editor (with Daniela Huber and Michelle Pace) of the “Routledge Handbook of EU-Middle East Relations” (Routledge, 2022). He has also edited special issues and published a number of scholarly articles in leading peer-reviewed academic journals such as Journal of Common Market Studies, Global Studies Quarterly, European Security, the Hague Journal on the rule of law, Mediterranean Politics, Global Affairs, International Spectator, the British Journal of Politics and International Relations, International Political Sociology and Geopolitics. He is also a frequent media commentator an has published a number of policy briefs and op-eds for major European and Middle East news and policy outlets such as EUROMESCO, Al Jazeera, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Open Democracy. 

Dr Bouris is the author of “The European Union and Occupied Palestinian Territories: State-building without a State” which was published by Routledge in 2014 (Hardback) and 2015 (Paperback) and for which he was selected as Routledge Politics and International Relations author of the month for February 2014. Dimitris is also the co-editor of the “Revised European Neighbourhood Policy: Continuity and Change in EU Foreign Policy” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and the co-editor (with Daniela Huber and Michelle Pace) of the “Routledge Handbook of EU-Middle East Relations” (Routledge, 2022). 

Drawing on extensive fieldwork and over 140 interviews carried out in Brussels, London, Jerusalem and Ramallah with EU, Palestinian and Israeli officials as well as academics, members of NGOs and civil society, the author evaluates the present approach of state-building and offers a framework to test the effectiveness of the EU as a state-builder. Examining security sector reform, judiciary sector reform and the rule of law, the book brings the ‘voices from the field’ to the forefront and measures the contribution of the EU to state-building against a backdrop of on-going conflict and a polarised social setting.

This book analyses the revised European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which entered into force in May 2011, thereby replacing its predecessor of 2003/2004. The edited volume provides a structured and comprehensive overview of the most recent developments in EU foreign policy (EUFP) towards the EU’s southern and eastern neighbourhood through the prism of continuity and change. Topics covered include: conceptual, theoretical and methodological issues; the legal and institutional aspects of the revised ENP and the changes brought by the entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty; and conflicts and crises in the EU’s neighbourhood, such as the Western Sahara conflict, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the South Caucasus conflicts and the crisis in Ukraine. The authors also focus on sectoral cooperation, analysing the changes brought by the revised ENP of 2011 in the domains of energy cooperation and migration. This volume will appeal to scholars and upper level students in EU/European Studies, International Relations, Political Science, as well as practitioners and policy-makers in the field.

EU–Middle East relations are multifaceted, varied and complex, shaped by historical, political, economic, migratory, social and cultural dynamics. Covering these relations from a broad perspective that captures continuities, ruptures and entanglements, this handbook provides a clearer understanding of trends, thus contributing to a range of different turns in international relations.

The interdisciplinary and diverse assessments through which readers may grasp a more nuanced comprehension of the intricate entanglements in EU–Middle East relations are carefully provided in these pages by leading experts in the various (sub)fields, including academics, think-tankers, as well as policymakers. The volume offers original reflections on historical constructions; theoretical approaches; multilateralism and geopolitical perspectives; contemporary issues; peace, security and conflict; and development, economics, trade and society.

This handbook provides an entry point for an informed exploration of the multiple themes, actors, structures, policies and processes that mould EU–Middle East relations. It is designed for policymakers, academics and students of all levels interested in politics, international and global studies, contemporary history, regionalism and area studies.

Dr Bouris is the leader and coordinator of the Jean Monnet Network on EU-Middle East Relations EUMENIA.

EUMENIA stands for EU-Middle East Network in Action and in Greek it means good will and favourably disposed attitude towards someone or something. EUMENIA is a Jean Monnet Network co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union for a duration of 3 years (2018-2021). It encompasses seven more institutions (besides the UvA) namely the University of Peloponnese (Greece), Istituto Affari Internazionali (Italy), Roskilde Universitet (Denmark), Bir Zeit University (Palestine), Yasar University (Turkey), American University of Beirut (Lebanon) and University of Jordan (Jordan).

EUMENIA has three interlinked objectives following a bottom-up approach. Firstly, it aims to bring scholars into the different classrooms of European and Middle Eastern Universities thus fostering exchanges between academics and students. Secondly, it aims to facilitate cooperation with civil society stakeholders and thirdly it aims to engage with national and EU policy makers through public events and online platforms, which will contribute to the dissemination of this knowledge and deepen the understanding of this complex relationship.