THE PROBLEM OF THE EU’S DEFENSE IDENTITY: THE PEACEKEEPING EXPERIENCE IN AFRICA

The article is devoted to the problem of the defense identity formation of the European Union (EU) in the context of peacekeeping operations in Africa. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that there is still no consensus in the EU countries regarding the deepening of integration and the need for military operations outside the area of responsibility of the organization member states. Contradictions on the issue of defense identity have an impact on cooperation with individual state and non-state actors in world politics and generally affect stability in the European security system. Using the example of the EU military operations in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) and the CAR (EUTM RCA), the process of forming the EU’s defense identity is considered. Constructivism is proposed as the theoretical basis of the study, as it explains the behavioral model of an individual actor, fully revealing its identity. The methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach combining historical and political aspects. Thus, the method of historical genesis study was used to track the evolution of the EU’s peacekeeping potential. The comparative method was used to compare the potential of EU operations in Africa. The instrumental and empirical analysis allowed not only to collect the necessary data on operations in Somalia and the CAR, but also to correlate the obtained results with the criteria that the authors identify as necessary for considering role identity. In conclusion, the authors assess how far the EU has progressed in the process of building a European defense identity, taking into account the achievements in military operations in Somalia and the CAR. © 2023, Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.