Impact of EU measures on key events in border conflicts

In this article I explore the research question “what are the effects of European Union measures on key events in border conflicts?” A theoretical part proposes a research design including uni-­ and multidirectional, direct, indirect and normative variables. In a three-­fold empirical part I examine the Ireland, Cyprus and Israel-­Palestine border conflicts. Within each conflict, two key events are selected and compared. The basic conclusions revolve around the perception that the EU has fairly limited tools to impact a border conflict. Outcomes rely on a large amount of independent factors that have to be taken into account to achieve successful reconciliation. Especially the normative image of the EU plays a large role in this, and the fact that often it is not an important peace-­building actor in comparison to the roles of the United Nations or the United States. Moreover, cases where conflict actors are not considering EU membership or are not eligible to join provide little opportunities for positive impact.