The European Union and the Middle East

Early 2009 saw the EU’s involvement in the efforts of the international community to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, while the end of the year marked the Treaty of Lisbon’s entry into force. The two events are seemingly unconnected, but in practice they are linked. Should the Treaty be implemented as it is formulated, it will allow the EU – or so its proponents hope – to manage foreign relations in general and crises like the Israel-Hamas war in late 2008-early 2009 in particular more efficiently and effectively.