Does the EU matter in international security? How can the deployment of
EU crisis management operations to different regions of the world be
explained? What have been their effects on the EU and its member states,
on host states and societies, and on other international security
providers? The authors identify and explain the drivers of and brakes to
EU foreign security action and offer methods of assessment to ascertain
influence. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of EU security
operations utilizing extensive primary resources and fieldwork, the
authors conclude that the union has become a niche international
security provider. However, the Common Security and Defense Policy, like
other policy sectors of the EU, will remain a work-in-progress, partly
finished, partly effective, and yet of interest to a world that has
always expected more of the union than it has been willing to give. This
new edition includes a postscript that provides updated coverage of EU
foreign policy activity, crisis management operations, and
decision-making changes since 2012.