ABSTRACT
European integration was conceived in the 1950s’ largely as a conflict resolution exercise. Its means were economic, but the declared objective mainly polit ical: to pacify Europe. As integration advanced and the potential for conflicts in Western Europe faded, the European Union’s concern with conflicts has became increasingly externalized. From the Balkans to the Middle East, and from the South Caucasus to Western Sahara, the European Union (EU) is encircled with conflicts that affect European security (European Security Strategy 2003). The EU has little choice but to consider action, because ‘In its neighbourhood and beyond, the EU cannot confine itself to the economic and political spheres; it also needs to be able to guarantee stability, prevent conflicts and manage crises on its own doorstep’ (European Commission 2004a). In a difficult milieu, the EU has become increasingly, though hesitantly, active in conflict management on its doorstep. But the EU’s actions have gone hand in hand with failures to act, and both have been equally revealing about the EU as a foreign policy actor.
