News article added on Dec 07 2009
CIS Researchers have won a grant of €80,000 under a new scheme from the Irish Dept of Foreign affairs Conflict Resolution Unit to examine rthe EU's role in international conflict mediation. the project is led by Dr Noelle Higgins and Dr Brenda Daly and includes inputs from other CIS researchers Dr John Doyle, Dr Donnacha Ó Beacháin and Dr Apostolos Agnanopolous.
The project will examine the capacity of the EU to function as a multi-track mediator in armed conflict resolution. It will analyse the unique nature and characteristics of the EU- its power, leverage, resources, perceived neutrality / bias etc. - and consider its past mediation activities, where it has worked with other Track I actors, i.e. states and other regional actors such as ASEAN and Track II actors, e.g. Non-governmental Organisations, such as the Crisis Management Initiative and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. It will focus on how the EU has harnessed and co-ordinated the resources and capabilities of states, NGOs and other organisations in mediation contexts.
The EU is one of the most powerful economic, political and legal institutions in the world, with a presence in 118 states worldwide. It is therefore uniquely positioned to positively impact on armed conflict situations, and indeed actively promotes the principles of conflict prevention and resolution. However, there currently exists a dearth of both theoretical and empirical research on the place of the EU as an actor in conflict mediation efforts. This project addresses the existing lacunae by firstly undertaking a stock-taking review of the extant literature and policy documentation on the EU as a mediator, and secondly undertaking semi-structured interviews with key personnel involved in EU, State and NGO mediation efforts. The project will also produce in-depth analyses of mediation efforts involving the EU in three case studies, namely Aceh, Cyprus and Georgia. Findings from this project will strengthen our understanding of the EU as an actor in armed conflict mediation and will predict how the EU can optimise its unique position as a mediator in future conflicts.
A project website will shortly be established and be available via http://www.dcu.ie/~cis/