This book explores the causes behind the EU’s recent forays into peace- and state-building operations. In the decade since the Union’s European (now Common) Security and Defence Policy (ESDP/CSDP)... Show moreThis book explores the causes behind the EU’s recent forays into peace- and state-building operations. In the decade since the Union’s European (now Common) Security and Defence Policy (ESDP/CSDP) became operational in 2003, the EU has conducted more than 20 civilian and military operations that broadly served to either deter aggression and/or to build or strengthen the rule of law in host countries. The present book seeks to identify the drivers behind this development: what motivated EU governments to take on these responsibilities? 'The Drivers behind EU Crisis Management Operations' builds its analysis on an explicit and systematic comparison of the explanations that the major theories in the field of international relations offer. Deriving four principal propositions, it compares their respective plausibility against four case studies. This book examines the diplomatic history behind the EU military operations in Bosnia and Chad as well as the civilian missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan. In this context, it systematically reconstructs the positions of the French, British and German governments as well as the positions of other EU member states wherever the latter played a significant role in the decision-making for a given operation. 'The Drivers behind EU Crisis Management Operations' combines an original theoretical analysis with a research design that enables the reader to compare different instances of ESDP intervention, mainstream theoretical interpretations thereof, and the national approaches of crucial EU players. In focusing on the overlapping and diverging motives behind ESDP action, it analyses the intra-EU conflicts underlying these acts of foreign policy cooperation. It thereby also sheds new light on the recent achievements and constraints of EU foreign policy at a moment when the Union is visibly grappling with the question of its future international role. Show less
