In search for greater V4 engagement in international crisis management
In search for greater V4 engagement in international crisis management

Contributor(s): Samuel Goda (Editor)
Subject(s): International relations/trade, Security and defense, Military policy, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development, Geopolitics
Published by: Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA)
Keywords: v4; engagement; international crisis management; security;
Summary/Abstract: Practice as well as general and applied research indicate that international relations and international security are subject to great dynamism, making the field more interesting and appealing not only to professionals but the general public as well. Nonetheless, such rapid development means that international and security affairs can be harder to read or predict, and sometimes understand in sufficient depth. Combined with various other factors, this can and, indeed does, lead to conflicts and crisis situations. Inter and intra-national conflicts are still a feature of and occur frequently in contemporary world affairs. Several milestones can be identified in the general worsening of or change in the regional or global security situation – the fall of the Berlin Wall, the war in former Yugoslavia, September 11, the terrorist attacks in Madrid, war in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Arab Spring or Maidan in Ukraine, for instance. What is more important in regards to the outcome is how individual states react to the crisis situation. Unfortunately, in most cases a reaction is triggered because prevention has failed for countless reasons and combinations thereof (although, conflict prevention can be considered as part of crisis management, in this publication we understand it to be a separate, but interconnected, earlier stage in crisis management). Countries may react separately, alone, and in other cases, may make use of international crisis management – a term encompassing the efforts of international actors in crisis situations, including military and civilian intervention. This can be executed in various ways and one is to coordinate actions under (an) international organization(s). The main aim of this study is to offer an updated analysis of and insights into the engagement of V4 countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – in international crisis management. In the broader Euro-Atlantic space there are three key institutions – NATO, the EU and the OSCE – that are capable of executing and leading crisis management missions. As this study shows, all V4 countries are committed to and have experience of international crisis management missions. Therefore, we have decided to fuse these two aspects and place the V4 countries together with these three international organizations in order to show how Central European countries operate through NATO, the EU and the OSCE in particular conflicts, and identify their main contributions and, where possible, point out the comparative advantage(s). When selecting our case studies, we sought a balanced mix of ongoing and previous crisis management missions. We also wanted, in part, to highlight the state of affairs in mutual, inter-organizational relations among NATO, the EU and the OSCE on crisis management missions – this is the subject of the last chapter.

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