Readings in European Security, Volume 4

The fourth volume of Readings in European Security considers the EU’s internal and external challenges on a number of fronts, spanning from its own burning banlieues to Afghanistan. Containing the most recent set of working papers of the European Security Forum (Nos. 21 through 25), this collection brings together the contributions of leading experts on security matters during the period of January 2006 to February 2007. The book begins with the wider implications of the EU’s constitutional malaise on the international scene and the EU’s current or desired role as a strategic actor. The reflection on internal challenges extends to consider the rise of suicide bombings and parallel societies within Europe, with scholars offering diverse views on the role of Islam. Risks to the EU’s energy security are also assessed, in which its relations with Russia figure prominently. Ukraine comes to the fore in this context, with in-depth analysis given of its energy and foreign policy goals against the background of domestic reforms. Finally, the chapter devoted to Afghanistan provides a critical assessment of the West’s handling of the conflict, underscoring its growing difficulties in trying to set the global strategic agenda.