European Security and Defence Policy

Security and defence is an area in which the EU has advanced considerably in recent years. A principal element of this process, which stands out in the general malaise that has befallen European integration, is the proliferating number of military and civilian crisis management missions around the world. Clearly Europe has come a long way since the disappointments and frustrations of the 1990s and it is since then that the newly developed European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) has become the necessary framework for the formulation and implementation of effective European security policy. This book provides an in-depth, critical enquiry of the ESDP in action. It analyses the implementation of military and civilian missions in the Balkans, Southern Caucasus, Africa and Asia and asks what impact they have on the ground. The editors and contributors cover a broad range of issues such as the reasons for the proliferation of ESDP deployments; the value that the operational capabilities and roles of the ESDP add to EU foreign and security policy; the strengths and weaknesses in the implementation of missions; their practical achievements in addressing the security concerns of host countries; the interaction between the ESDP and the European Commission, NATO, the USA and ASEAN; the perception of these operations by locals and the possibilities of identifying emerging patterns in the implementation of the ESDP and to tease out lessons for future missions. This volume brings together a unique mix of senior ESDP mission practitioners and academics; the latter provide research-based expertise while the former offer unrivalled insider knowledge into the operationalisation, impact and contexts of the ESDP. European Security and Defence Policy will be of interest to students and scholars of international relations, security, European studies, foreign policy, peacekeeping and transatlantic relations.Merlingen, Michael is the author of 'European Security and Defence Policy', published 2008 under ISBN 9780415431736 and ISBN 0415431735.