Reform or Business as Usual? EU Security Provision in Complex Contexts: Mali

The European Union (EU) is increasingly engaged in conflicts around the world. According to the Treaty on European Union, the EU will promote the principles of peace, security, the protection of human rights, the strict observance and the development of international law, amongst others, in its relations with the wider world.1 In 2011, the Council of the European Union declared that “Preventing conflicts and relapses into conflict, in accordance with international law, is therefore a primary objective of the EU’s external action, in which it could take a leading role acting in conjunction with its global, regional, national and local partners.”2