The EU as a security actor in Africa: the case of sahel mali

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b2313236_ (Table of contents)

During the Cold War era, EU’s global role was mostly limited to trade and environmental policies. The establishment of the CFSP meant that the EU could now become an independent security actor in world politics. One of the regions in which the EU has asserted this new role of global security actorness is Sub-Sahara Africa where about 50% of CFSP operation have been carried or ongoing. Sub-Sahara Africa is important for the EU for both economic and security purposes. The region serves as a source of raw materials for the EU. Additionally, it is home to terrorist groups such as AQIM, Boko Haram, that can inspire terrorist attacks to European countries. These factors have contributed to the EU asserting more roles as a security actor in the region. This thesis aims to answer the question of the extent to which the EU is an effective security actor in Africa, with a focus on Sahel Mali. While literature on EU operations has assessed EU's effectiveness from several dimensions including cohesion, autonomy, authority, recognition, presence, and capabilities, this thesis assesses the effectiveness of EU as a security actor in Africa based on cohesion. Cohesion serves as the most appropriate dimension as it also paves the way for the other dimensions