TEPSA Brief: Options for EU engagement in post-conflict Libya, March 2012

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By Marlene Gottwald

The EU’s response to the Libyan crisis has been weak and divided. The EU failed to speak with one voice and to get its act together in the field of military crisis management. While the UN and NATO have been the main players in the first months of the Libyan civil war, the EU is expected to step up to the plate for civilian support to a post-conflict reconstruction. This policy brief analyses the most serious medium- and long-term challenges for the (re-)building of a functioning Libyan state. On this basis it examines options for EU engagement in the area of security sector reform taking into account lessons learned from previous CSDP missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The policy brief concludes that the establishment of a civilian CSDP mission providing training mainly outside Libya will be the most feasible option.

Please feel free to contact Marlene Gottwald to discuss and to learn more on the future developments about this issue.