AbstractsPolitical Science

France has traditionally been the most keen proponent for more capable European Union (EU) defense institutions. Its aspirations for EU's autonomy has several times resulted in isolation among its EU partners. However, current structural changes in the international system call for closer security cooperation in Europe. In 2009, France returned to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Integrated Military Structure after an interlude of 40 years. Later the same year, the Lisbon Treaty entered into force which enables hard power as a EU foreign policy instrument. Applying classical and structural realist theory, this master thesis provides a case study of France's military intervention in Mali, launched on 11 January 2013. The analysis examines the EU vs NATO dichotomy and shows how the intervention in Mali can be perceived as an attempt to enhance the EU as a global security actor. The French intervention resulted in a prestige enhancement within its main pillars of security cooperation. It succeeded in altering the political environment within the EU and contributed to the adoption of policy guidelines and CSDP missions that will bolster France's military presence in Africa.