The EU as a global conflict manager: reflections on the past, perspectives for the future

Over the past two decades, the European Union has significantly expanded its role as a conflict manager both in terms of the scope of activities and in terms of their geographical spread. Over 20 civilian and military crisis management operations have been conducted by the Union and its member states in Africa, Asia and Europe, in cooperation with other international and regional organisations (including the UN, OSCE, AU, NATO and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)), and deploying thousands of civilian experts and military personnel. While none of these missions can be classified as a failure, the track record of the EU in terms of achieving a lasting and positive impact on local conflicts, beyond the often narrow mandate that the Union gives itself, is somewhat patchy. This is not surprising given either the complexity of the conflict situations the EU has become involved in or the only gradual development of capabilities to deal with them. More importantly, the unqualified and qualified successes that the Union has had in managing conflict offer important lessons that can enable the EU to become a more effective conflict manager in the future. It is these reflections on the past that we now turn to in our concluding chapter in order to develop credible perspectives for the Union’s future role as a global conflict manager.