The Military Operation of the EU in Chad and the Central African Republic: Good Policy, Bad Politics

This article evaluates the military operation of the European Union in Chad and the Central African Republic in 2008–09. Despite a promising conceptual approach and close cooperation with the United Nations (UN), the operation created significant political problems between member states. It led to a split – France arguing that it carried too much of the burden and Germany and the United Kingdom sensing that they were sponsoring a pet project. When the UN failed to achieve its ambitious promises to establish a parallel presence and follow-on force, tensions arose with the UN as well. This type of operation is therefore unlikely to be repeated in the near future.