The EU’s interregional relations and the promotion of democracy: the case of Zimbabwe (2002-2013)

The development of interregional relations and the promotion of de-mocracy are two pillars of the EU’s external identity. The aim of this article is to assess whether the EU has been able to use its interregional relations with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) to democratize partner organizations and their member countries. In par-ticular, the role of the normative interaction with the EU occasioned by the breach of democratic principles in Zimbabwe between 2002 and 2013 is ana-lyzed, focusing on three key factors: the normative gap between the EU and the partner organizations; the internal cohesion and external coherence of the EU; and the role of South Africa as regional leader in incorporating and applying liberal democracy throughout the region.