Be that as it may, central to the need for accommodating dialogue in the fragmented Euro-Mediterranean system for preserving regional stability is the role of institutions. The problem is one of organising regional politics out of the systemic complexity of a heterarchical regional space, where several civilisations have mutually influenced and enriched each other. But to break down such regional complexity, one has first to realise the importance of diversity as an essentialistic principle: the regional system is itself constituted in the clash of different sub-systems. A heterarchical order minimises homogeneity/universality as the principal referent for sub-systemic co-operation. This form of enhanced particularity through a reflexive appropriation of difference becomes the basic normative unit of the system itself. This resonates with a broader aspiration of partnership that transcends any mono-dimensional configuration of power, stressing instead the complex character of an allegedly common destiny. This is exactly where a heterarchical regime is better equipped to manage the existing levels of Mediterranean complexity. The plausibility of this claim to the importance of reflexivity as opposed to co-ordinated hierarchy rests on a systemic perspective, whereby ‘sub-systems do not [necessarily] join together into higher level systems ... nor can they be conceived of as instances of a totality’ [95]. True, some hierarchy of norms may prove necessary, but this should also reflect the praxis of mutualism and respect for the ‘other’. From a positive view of regional heterarchy, the aim is for ‘others’ to be brought into the management structures of the EMP, and for regional diversity to transform itself from a self-referential property of distinct units into an identifiable pluralist order. Whatever the legitimising ethos of the prevailing worldviews, trust-building, transparency, cultural pluralism, symbiotic association, and an open civilisational dialogue are useful tools for revitalising a cross-fertilisation between highly heterogeneous units. The search for a new system-wide legitimacy thus depends on the partners’ capacity to discover a sense of process (and purpose too) based on humanism, pluriformity and social justice.
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