Europe’S Lopsided Foreign Policy: Israel, Lebanon And The Palestinians - Ifi Working Paper Series#5

Working Paper Series #5 | July 2011
Europe’s Lopsided Foreign Policy: Israel, Lebanon and the PalestiniansStuart Reigeluth
Europe is in the process of creating a common foreign policy. This is a difficult task since, as a supra-national entity, the European Union must take into consideration the different interests of its 27 member states. These interests usually coincide more than they diverge and thus European member states contribute resources and personnel to new EU mechanisms for both external and internal conflict management and rule of law efforts. Externally, these efforts have translated into EU civilian and military missions that aim to reform police and judicial systems, as well as to professionalize border management, such as in the Palestinian territories. However, beneath the umbrella of another supra-national body, the United Nations, European nation states also participate in peacekeeping missions, such as UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where they do not officially represent the EU. European states send national military contingents to NATO missions as well, such as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. An EU civilian mission is present in Kabul for the reform of the Afghan police, and in Baghdad for the reform of the Iraqi judicial system. Europe’s nascent foreign policy therefore provides a ‘soft’ buttress to the overarching foreign policy of the United States. This is also evident in the eastern Mediterranean where the European Union is part of the U.S.-led Middle East Quartet (along with the UN and Russia) that strives to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Behind these efforts to promote peace, Brussels has created its closest ties with Tel Aviv, while being engaged in conflict management and reform missions in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. This has created a lopsided European foreign policy in Israel’s favor.

Publisher: 
Issam Fares Institute For Public Policy And International Affairs
تاريخ النشر: 
الجمعة, 1 يوليو 2011
نوع المورد: 
Studies and Reports
حلة: 
Human Rights & Protection