EU Involvement in the Afghanistan War : Progress Toward a Viable EU Foreign and Security Policy

Some observers of the European Union’s (EU) involvement in the Afghanistan war argue that the EU has made substantial political and economic contributions to the international efforts. The Afghanistan war began in October 2001 in response to the terrorist attacks in the United States (US) on September 11. Immediately following the attacks, the EU and its member states declared solidarity with the US, vowing that the EU “stands firmly and fully behind the US.” It was agreed by European leaders that the attacks were not just an aggression toward the US, but toward all democratic states. Economically, the EU took the lead on the humanitarian mission, becoming the second largest donor to the humanitarian and economic development in Afghanistan. Politically, the EU utilized its expertise in multilateralism by playing a critical role in the organization of the crucial international coalition used to find a solution to the crisis. The EU also contributed to the commitment to the rule of law and establishment of good governance by taking over a portion of the police training mission in 2007. Eva Gross, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for European Studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, has even gone so far as to say, “the EU has been a key…actor in Afghanistan.”