ABSTRACT
During the conducting of interviews, an expert in European security underscored the need to start any research on contemporary European security with the Saint Malo accord of 1998 laying down the foundation of the CSDP. Sixteen years later, it instead seems appropriate to end with it. The Saint Malo declaration offered a vision for the role of the EU in the realm of defense and security. Such a grand vision has progressively faded away with the institutional roadblocks and limited willingness of the EU Member States to commit themselves to the construction of a viable, reliable and credible CSDP. Instead, the emphasis has been on soft power at the expense of hard power (but a lot of soft power does not translate into a percentage of hard power) and defense procurements. The challenges of the twenty-first century required new strategies and capabilities as the warfare of the twentieth century has become guerilla-type conflicts as demonstrated in the wars in Africa and Central Asia. The traditional state-to-state conflict has faded away for the EU, which is now facing problems due to failed states. Despite some setbacks in the development process of the CSDP, one must recognize that the EU and its Member States have been in search of a clear security identity for the CSDP. Crisis management may be the road for the future of the CSDP as it permits the Union to utilize its “comprehensive approach” to promoting security and stability in the neighborhood and abroad.
