Introduction

While much of the scholarly attention has scrutinized dynamics on the ground, the international context within which the occupation has persisted deserves equal scrutiny beyond the traditional reference to United States foreign policy, because the sustainability of regional phenomena depends also on the international context within which they are embedded. Often mentioned as a possible way forward, the “economic peace” option has clear limits. In particular, Martin shows how European governments and the European Union (EU) have been slow to tackle corporate responsibility of European private actors on the ground, while European companies have often been swift to exploit economic opportunities. Ultimately, the picture that emerges is of a group of countries quick to condemn internationally, but in practice helping at a bilateral level to normalize the occupation against the will of parts of their population. “New” EU member states project an image that is intentionally different from the position of “older” member states.