Why the European Union Failed in Afghanistan
Transatlantic Relations and the Return of the Taliban
By Oz Hassan
Published
Sep 26, 2024Page count
272 pagesISBN
978-1529240740Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Sep 26, 2024Page count
272 pagesISBN
978-1529240733Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Sep 26, 2024Page count
272 pagesISBN
978-1529240757Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Sep 26, 2024Page count
272 pagesISBN
978-1529240757Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University Press
Why the European Union Failed in Afghanistan
The return of the Taliban has undermined EU external action, reversed twenty years of state-building efforts and represents the most significant failure of EU foreign policy to date.
Drawing on over 100 hours of interviews with key actors and an in-depth examination of the EU’s state-building efforts, this book offers unparalleled insights into the complex interplay between transatlantic relations and the resurgence of the Taliban. It critically evaluates the EU's strategies, advocating for a nuanced, historically informed approach to international relations.
Indispensable for academics, policy makers and anyone vested in the intricacies of foreign interventions in an ever-complex global environment.
“This authoritative analysis provides a much-needed examination of the EU’s involvement in Afghanistan. Its enlightening insights are indispensable for the students, researchers and practitioners of Western interventions in Afghanistan.” Barış Çelik, University of Sheffield
“A theoretically nuanced narrative that is as compelling as it is enlightening. The book navigates beyond traditional international relations boundaries, offering a theoretically sophisticated problem-oriented approach that exposes persistent challenges and intricate realities.” Luk Van Langenhove, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
“It is not just NATO and the United States that crashed and burned so disastrously in Afghanistan. So too did the European Union, as Oz Hassan demonstrates in his searching and unsettling discussion of possibly its most significant – but least discussed – foreign policy failure of the last 20 years. A must-read for all those who believe that in our increasingly dangerous world, the EU still has a critical part to play.” Michael Cox, Emeritus Professor of International Relations and Founding Director of LSE IDEAS
Oz Hassan is Reader in National Security at the University of Warwick. He authored the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs study on Afghanistan and is a recipient of the Middle East Policy Council 40 Under 40 award.
1.Introduction
2.More than a ‘Blank Slate’: Afghan Meta-norms in World History
3.Afghan Independence and European Union Humanitarianism in the Global International System
4.Terrorism, Solidarity and European Marginalization
5.European Union State-building Efforts and the Corruption Eruption
6.European Union Diplomacy, Democracy and Security Assistance
7.The Fall of Kabul and New Challenges for the European Union
8.Conclusion
