Assessing the European Union’s (EU) Role in Conflict Management and Post-conflict Development in Africa

This chapter focuses on the assessment of the European Union’s (EU) role in conflict management and post-conflict development in Africa. It reveals that Africa is in a significantly different position within the global security architecture when compared to the situation prevailing prior to September 2001. To the EU, Africa is important for many reasons. Hence, the EU has elaborated a multi-dimensional approach to developmental and political challenges in Africa. As a global player, the EU is increasingly focused on promoting political stability, reducing conflict risks, and supporting democracy in partner countries. Also, there is a sense of responsibility toward Africa, which was made manifest in a generous development assistance policy pursued from the very beginning of the European Community in the late 1950s. During the past two decades or so, security concerns have increasingly supplemented the traditional European commitment to economic and social development of the continent. The EU has changed its policies toward the region in the years following September 11. The increasing reliance on military instruments for conflict management is the most conspicuous feature of this policy. It is a reflection of changing European interests toward the continent as well as a reflection of changes in institutions. This chapter concludes that, while strong national interests may affect the EU’s foreign policy including its development policy, if no member state has strong vested interests in how a crisis is managed, the EU institutions in Brussels and at the country level may formulate and implement a comprehensive approach effectively. Increasingly, the EU has recognized the basic understanding of the relationship between security and development, and has acknowledged that there is a close link between stability, peacebuilding, and development in Africa.