Like early mariners, politicians and officials trying to navigate European foreign policy find themselves in an environment of unpredictable hazards hidden institutional shoals, and legal reefs that can tear the bottom out of a policy. This insightful collection of contrasted studies shines the twin beams of political science and legal analysis into these opaque depths. Practitioners as well as scholars will benefit from the illumination. Nick Witney, European Council on Foreign Relations and Former Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, UK This collection on EU foreign policy is an attractive one for several reasons: it contains a very nice set of essays on a topic which has loomed large on the European Union agenda for some years, namely the international role of the EU. The chapters are written by a range of interesting and eminent scholars in the field. Most importantly in terms of its distinctive contribution, the book brings together perspectives from law and from political science. This is done in part by including chapters by authors from different disciplines but also by choosing cross-pillar themes and topics such as the European Neighbourhood Policy, EU policy on Kosovo, security and defence policy, as well as more general cross-cutting themes like the idea of coherence , the position of the EU within international organizations, and the approach of the EU to the international legal order. Each of the individual chapters is well worth reading, and the book as a whole is a useful and interesting contribution to the existing literature. Gráinne de Búrca, Harvard Law School, US Written by leading experts, this book focuses on central issues of the foreign policy of the European Union. The issues explored include: how the EU s judges understand its relationship with the international order; the coherence of the Union s external action; the EU s approach to its neighbours; the Common Security and Defence Policy; and, the EU s participation in international organisations. By addressing each topic from a legal, political science and international relations standpoint, this relevant book highlights the different perspectives that these disciplines bring to the central issues of the EU s foreign affairs, and starts a conversation between the respective communities. Scholars and students in European and international law, politics, and international relations will find this book insightful. It will also prove timely for policy-makers in the EU and international organisations, as well as think tanks and non-governmental organisations specialising in European affairs.

In a relatively short time, the European Union has become one of the world's most powerful and important bodies. Its critical role in international affairs extends to several different areas: economics; culture; the environment; and, of course, international security and foreign affairs. This important volume explains and evaluates EU foreign policy in all its confusing dimensions. Is there really any such thing as "European Union Foreign Policy"? If so, what is it? What are its goals and priorities, and how effective is it? How do outsiders perceive EU foreign policy, and what are the ramifications of those views? Those are just some of the questions this book tries to answer. In order to draw the most comprehensive picture possible of EU foreign policy, Federiga Bindi and her contributors dissect both "horizontal" and "vertical" issues. Vertical concerns focus on particular geographic regions, such as the EU's foreign policy toward Africa and Asia and its relations with the United States. Horizontal issues explore wider crosscutting themes that help explain the EU's foreign policy choices and operations, such as decisionmaking processes and procedures; European self-identity; and core priorities such as peace, democracy, and human rights. Contents Foreword by Giuliano Amato, former foreign minister and prime minister of Italy Part I. The New Tools of EU Foreign Policy II. US-EU Relations after the Elections III. EU Relations with the Rest of the Americas IV. Africa and Asia V. The EU and Its Neighbors VI. The EU, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East VII. Promoting Values and Models Abroad VIII. Conclusions: Assessing EU Foreign Policy

Against the backdrop of past and present challenges, the author of this book probes the comparative utility of the EU Member States' principal cooperation options in security and defence in terms of their scope, institutions and procedures, and the EU Member States' choices in this respect over the past two decades. EU Member States have not demonstrated a preference for cooperation in that policy area so far and are not likely to do so in the near future either. There is no specific common purpose that would justify a significant effort to strengthen future EU cooperation on its Common Security and Defence Policy in 2017. NATO, ad hoc coalition forming and UN peacekeeping appear and will appear more useful and important for EU Member States in the medium term. In recent years observers have been struck by how much internal security threats, radical Islamist terror attacks and the Member States' discord over migration have influenced the reorientation of the EU Member States' external security and defence policies. In that increasingly important nexus, the author proposes ideas for a more systematic approach to research.

This book explores the causes and implications of the Libyan crisis since the anti-Gaddafi uprisings of 2011 from the perspective of the EU and NATO. It asks the question of why those organizations failed to stabilize the country despite the serious challenges posed by the protracted crisis to European and transatlantic stakes in the region. This book argues that such failure originated in a twofold problem common to both organizations: their prioritization of legitimacy over strategy, and their path dependence – the insufficient degree of adaptation to meet the different needs of the crisis. Through a critical and integrated analysis of official sources and extensive interviews with EU, NATO, UN, and national government officials and militaries, as well as from NGO personnel, Libyan institutions and civil society, and media, the volume brings the perspective of both state and non-state actors to the fore. It reveals how wrong assumptions and centrifugal forces within the EU and NATO hampered initiatives, and how the inability to use hard power judiciously and effectively in an increasingly complex and multifaceted scenario worsened the crisis. This allowed for unprecedented influence of regional and global competitors such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey and Russia in the richest African country. This book will be of key interest for scholars and students of Libya and North Africa, NATO, the European Union, security and conflict studies, Middle East studies, migration, terrorism, peacebuilding and, more broadly, international relations.

The Lisbon Treaty, which came into force in December 2009, aims to make the European Union both more efficient and legitimate. Two new important posts were created; an elected President of the European Council and a High Representative (HR) of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy who will also be a Vice-President of the Commission. Leading international scholars have been gathered together to examine the institutional choices and innovations of the Lisbon Treaty and discuss the likely effects of these changes. Will the changes meet the declared goals of a more efficient and democratic Union which will allow the EU to act internationally with greater coherence and efficiency? If institutions matter, how much do they matter? How significant is the Lisbon Treaty? What kind of leadership will be available in the post-Lisbon EU?

"Part I describes and analyses the ESDP, including all 22 military and civilian crisis management operations launched up to 31 August 2009 as well as developments under the Lisbon Treaty, and briefly discusses the international law issues raised, offering a unique insight into ESDP practice and its legal aspects. Part II examines this practice in the framework of the status and obligations of international organizations under international law: it looks at the legal status and personality of international organizations and of the EU as well as at how international organizations, including the EU, are bound by international obligations. Part III extensively addresses the international law applicable to the conduct of ESDP operations, in particular the law of armed conflict and international human rights law, filling a gap in the literature."--Jacket back cover.