ABSTRACT
EUBAM Rafah was created not only in Brussels, but also, simultaneously, in various capitals around the world. It was successfully completed in a shorter time span than even EUPOL COPPS; a former EU offi cial described the EUBAM Rafah formulation process as, probably, “the fastest in the history of the EU’s foreign policy missions” (interview with former EU offi cial 2013). It featured substantial levels of intervention, and bilateral/multilateral modes of negotiation, by regional and international political actors, who played a decisive role in overcoming a variety of issues that threatened the creation of EUBAM Rafah. This chapter aims at explaining why and how the EU managed to create and deploy EUBAM Rafah in such a short timeframe.
