Charting Transformation through Security Contemporary EU-Africa Relations

This distinctive empirical account analyses security cooperation in the domain of inter-regionalism, identifying the emergence of the African Union (AU) as a regional actor and its implications for contemporary EU-Africa relations.

The book considers the opportunities and constraints of trying to create something new from an existing EU-Africa institution, by focusing on two cases of building the capabilities of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). Examining institutional interactions and decision-making processes between the European Union (EU) and the AU, it provides revealing new insights based on extensive fieldwork and original interviews with European and African officials. Addressing the prospects of true equality, partnership and local ownership, Haastrup explores the potential for the transformation of EU-Africa relations.

This comprehensive and up-to-date account of security cooperation will appeal to scholars in international relations, comparative regionalism, international security and European Union and African Studies.

Toni Haastrup is a Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, UK. She completed her PhD in Politics at the University of Edinburgh, where she also taught. Her research focuses on gender dimensions in EU-Africa inter-regionalism.

1. Introduction: Continuities and Changes in EU-Africa Relations
2. Evaluating a Contemporary Institution: Evolving EU-Africa Relations
3. Regionalising Security: The APSA and External Partners
4. EU Support to the African Standby Force: Amani Africa Cycles
5. Scapegoats and Heroes: Establishing a Small Arms Regime?
6. Change in Motion: Evolution between Layering and Conversion
Conclusion: Transformation Deferred?