The Treaty of Lisbon and International Intervention

The Treaty of Lisbon was designed to significantly strengthen the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union (EU). This paper assesses the impact of the Treaty’s innovations on the conduct of European foreign policy with respect to international intervention. It seeks to do so through case study analysis of two international crises where the Treaty’s effects in this regard could be seen: the civil wars in Libya and Mali. This study focuses on the coordination of European states within the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). It looks primarily at three major factors affecting the conduct of an effective EU foreign policy: the formation of a cohesive policy; effective institutional implementation; and the tensions between national and collective interests within the EU.