European Positions on the Libyan Crisis of 2011: France, Germany and Turkey

Abstract

The thesis paper is concentrated on one of the most breaking news of the year, the Libyan Civil War. The main focus of the paper is to examine the stances of the three European countries (France, Germany and Turkey) regarding the Libyan conflict and the one of the European Union as a whole. One of the main ideas of choosing the behavior of France, Germany and Turkey is that the stances of these particular countries differ one from another. The paper attempts to understand why France strongly trusts and supports the new Libyan authorities welcoming the fall of Muammar Gadhafi’s regime whereas Germany takes quite a different position and Turkey gradually decides to act along with the EU. This question is examined by applying foreign policy analysis theories, examining general trends, orientation and behavior of the focused countries. The author reviews the policy that the countries have adopted toward the Libyan Crisis and how it has affected their image in the EU. On the basis of the Libyan case, the author tries to formulate recommendations or possible actions for European Common Foreign and Security Policy.