Toni Haastrup

EU as Mentor? Promoting Regionalism as External Relations Practice in EU–Africa Relations

Abstract This article examines regionalism in the context of the EU inter-regional relations with Africa. It especially focuses on the EU–African Union (AU) relationship. It evaluates this relationship using a typology based on the policy diffusion literature and challenges the notion that the AU is a model of the EU. It addresses the institutionalisation of Africa’s own regional integration process in the context of the EU’s broader external relations practice, which prioritises support for local processes. Rather than a model, the article argues that the EU is best placed to serve as mentor to the AU as the latter seeks to foster regional integration in Africa. By mentoring, the EU is able to fulfil its overarching external relations commitments to local ownership, and realise deepened further integration in Africa.

Africa-EU Partnership on Peace and Security

Like other international partners, European countries and institutions through the European Union (EU) currently seek a new and dynamic engagement with emerging African political institutions. Yet, unlike the other partners, the EU’s relationship with Africa is longstanding, entrenched in the past colonial and postcolonial development assistance programs including preferential trade cooperation. The longstanding interactions between Europe and Africa mean that Africa has served as a venue for many of the EU’s external relations in the past 50 years. This then forms the basis of ongoing EU-Africa relations.

Introduction: The EU as International Mediator – Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives

In this introductory article, we conceptualise EU mediation practice and identify different conceptual and empirical perspectives from which EU mediation practice can be analysed. First, we briefly present different understandings of mediation in research and practice, and offer a definition and terminological/conceptual clarification of EU mediation practice that both covers EU mediation efforts and mediation support activities. Second, we present the institutional architecture for EU mediation activities. Third, we specify the focus of the special issue and derive a number of research questions that have not been sufficiently addressed in EU foreign policy studies and mediation research, yet. Based on these questions, we propose some tentative avenues for studying EU mediation along three key concepts: (1) drivers of EU mediation, (2) EU mediation roles and strategies, and (3) EU mediation effectiveness. Finally, we provide an overview of the contributions to this special issue.

Creating Cinderella? The Unintended Consequences of the Women Peace and Security Agenda for EU ’s Mediation Architecture

In 2000, the United Nations ( UN ) launched the Women, Peace and Security ( WPS ) agenda by adopting Security Council Resolution 1325. The agenda, among other things, called for the greater inclusion of women in peace negotiation practices and structures. While the European Union ( EU ) has made commitments to implementing the WPS agenda, the literature has not yet captured the institutional dynamics of the EU as it seeks to translate the WPS agenda into reality. This article takes stock of this hitherto excluded area of research. It argues that mediation is the ‘Cinderella’ of the EU ’s peace and security institution because it has been ignored as a site for the implementation of the WPS agenda with important implications. Using a feminist institutionalist framework, the article shows the ways in which institutional practices of change aimed at including the new perspectives prompted by the WPS agenda lead to unintended gendered consequences.

Gender and the EU's Support for Security Sector Reform in Fragile Contexts

How does the European Union (EU) include ‘gender’ within its support to security sector reform (SSR) programmes? The EU has committed to include gender perspectives by implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda (WPS) within its foreign security practices. While researchers and practitioners recognise the importance of integrating gender issues into SSR operational effectiveness, there is limited knowledge about how this functions within the EUs security architecture. This article uses Feminist Institutionalism (FI) to understand the process of gender mainstreaming within the EUs support to SSR programmes. It does this by using two crucial theory†testing cases of SSR programmes – Ukraine and Afghanistan. It finds that the EUs ability to promote gender inclusive approaches to SSR is limited by the structure of the EUs own assumptions and capabilities, and institutional constraints in third countries. At the same time, the cases underscore the importance of individuals as agents of change.

Motives, Roles, Effectiveness and the Future of the EU as an International Mediator

This article concludes this special issue on the European Union as international mediator that set out to advance our theoretical and empirical knowledge about EU mediation. Providing a comprehensive reflection of EU mediation activities and the diverse settings where they take place, this concluding article identifies some connection points between the articles and discusses their findings on the motives/drivers, roles/strategies, effectiveness and institutional capacities of EU mediation. It discusses the implications of these findings for policymaking, focusing on the conditions for EU mediation effectiveness, the advantages of the multi-layered nature of EU mediation and the need for flexible adaptation of mediation strategies. Finally, the article sets the scene for future research endeavors on EU mediation by identifying three future research avenues that focus on the politics, domestic effects and comparative advantage of the EU as international mediator.

Does European Union Studies have a Gender Problem? Experiences from Researching Brexit

Does European Union studies have a gender problem? Experiences from researching Brexit Roberta Guerrina, Toni Haastrup, Katharine A.M. Wright, Annick Masselot, Heather MacRae and Rosalind Cavaghan Department of Politics, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK; School of Politics and International Relations, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; School of Law, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; Department of Politics, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; WISE Research Centre, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK

The undoing of a unique relationship? Peace and security in the EU–South Africa Strategic Partnership

ABSTRACT When the European Union (EU) and South Africa acceded to a strategic partnership, they expanded into new areas of partnership. One of these areas was peace and security, which is the focus of this article. The article argues that, although there appears to be a shared understanding of what security means, the strategic partnership has not been utilised significantly to further this understanding in practice. This is largely due to the EUs preferences for a continental, multilateral approach over the bilateralism of a strategic partnership. At the same time, South Africa sees its strategic partnership with the EU as being outside of its broader commitment to regional security. As a result the peace and security element of the strategic partnership has not been leveraged effectively despite several entry points for action. The article thus concludes that both the EU and South Africa need to re-think the current arrangement.

New directions for African security

ABSTRACT African security, particularly conflict-related political violence, is a key concern in international relations. This forum seeks to advance existing research agendas by addressing four key themes: domestic politics and peacekeeping; security sector reform programs; peace enforcement; and the protection of civilians. Each of the articles in this forum makes a case for analyzing African agency when it comes to African security. As a way of introduction, this short article sets out the main debates and concludes by providing further directions for future research.

Locating the EU’s strategic behaviour in sub-Saharan Africa

This chapter argues that sub-Saharan Africa is an important component of the European Unions strategic behaviour. By analysing EU missions in Africa, the chapter locates the evolution of Europes strategic culture in 3 frames: human security, security-development nexus and support for local preferences