The European Union has crossed a rubicon in its development as a global security actor. Its willingness to intervene far beyond its natural backyard in difficult and dangerous locations, such as the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan, to support regional and international organisations such as the United Nations, the African Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, while pursuing its distinctive approach to crisis, and its preparedness to use coercive force where necessary, marks a change in the evolution of its external policies.
Since 2003, the EU has developed a wide range of both civilian and military security capabilities and has carried out 16 missions to crisis zones. It has met a growing demand for external intervention to bring stability and the rule of law to end violent conflict. The European Security Strategy adopted in December 2003 provides the framework for this role and for a European security identity. It sets out the challenges the European Union faces and how Europeans can meet them, but not much more – it does not yet amount to an operating manual or even a set of design instructions.
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