Committee on Foreign Affairs

Dear committee,

During the Vienna Session our committee will be dealing with the question of the EU's involvement in international conflicts. We, your committee presidents, have prepared some links for you to read through, so you will be prepared. It might be a good idea, to print some of the articles out, or for you to write down some short facts, since you will not be able to use a computer during the committee meetings to research information.

We look forward to seeing you very soon!

Discussion:

  • Should the EU play an important role in international conflicts only after the cessation of hostilities?
  • Should the EU assume a prominent role in situations whilst violence continues?
  • Should this prominent rule be assigned to individual member states?
  • Should this role be left to/ or shared by other member states?

History of EU peacekeeping:

The report analyses the history of peacekeeping in the EU and outside by EU-Member states, and points out strengths and weaknesses of the modern day EU peacekeeping missions

Basic report which briefly sums up history, modern day missions and special mission typology

EU peacekeeping, referring to specific cases and incidents

This article is about the situation in Syria and deals with the question whether or not the EU should get involved by military means, please do have a closer look at the discussion at the bottom of the page, there are some very good statements you could use!

Article pointing out the disadvantages of intervening in Syria, interesting to read

Overview of three specific cases, the report also points out some interesting open questions

General information about the EU's involvement in the South- Caucasus, how the EU handled the situation

Good article, specifically focuses on single conflicts (e.g. Georgia, South Ossetia, etc.), it is enough if you only read the introduction and conclusion to get a general overview, read whole article for full information.

(future) EU peacekeeping strategies

Development which could become a very interesting topic in the future, especially regarding our topic

EU-paper about the different questions raised when deciding upon a joint peacekeeping/peace-building strategy

Future of the European peace building partnership, please inform yourself about the PBP before reading this executive summary

Discussion: analysis of the EUs role as a manager of international conflicts

Analyses the abilities of the EU as a conflict manager, questions whether or not the EU is even able to ensure peace around the world, especially regarding the Lisbon treaty, please start to read at page 15!

This analyses the benefits and problems of the EU's role as a conflict manager and resolver very well, for a general overview, please read p. 7- 14

Analyses the EU's capabilities in conflict management, please read p. 6- 8

Very good overview of the EU's role as a mediator in international conflicts. Please read the pages 6- 21.

This article has a rather negative take on the EU's abilities as an international peacekeeper, and suggests a fresh start for the EU in the field of conflict management.

Gives an informative overview of different types of peacekeeping (Traditional Peacekeeping and Multifaceted Peacekeeping) and investigates if the EU is more of a civilian or a military power. Please read pages 7-19.