ABSTRACT
Western Europe – in the shape of the EU and the WEU – has, through the 1990s, developed the ambition to manage crises on the peripheries of Europe. The ambition is not new. Discomfort with an excessive reliance on nuclear deterrence during the Cold War inspired ideas of détente, mediation and conflict resolution throughout Europe. The prospect that the ambition may be realised, however, is new. The end of the Cold War led the WEU to adopt its crisis management ‘Petersberg’ declaration in June 1992, which has since been taken over by the EU within the framework of its European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). This chapter assesses the likelihood of Western Europe becoming a crisis manager.
