Multilateral Issues and Crisis Management

The EU’s member states endured a frustrating year of multilateral diplomacy. They were unable to persuade Russia or China to approve action over Syria at the UNSC, while the Obama administration blocked progress towards a UN conventional arms-trade treaty – a European priority. For the second year in a row, the G20 summit was overshadowed by the euro crisis, which put European leaders on the defensive. However, the EU did take tentative steps towards revitalising its crisis management operations, authorising small, new security assistance missions to Niger, South Sudan, and the Horn of Africa. The European Council also mandated a larger mission to train Malian troops as part of a broader response to the country’s collapse. These missions may be cost-effective alternatives to larger military and civilian deployments, but it is possible that they lack the resources and ambition to make much of an impact. [...]

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