EU:S KRISHANTERING I LIBANON OCH UKRAINA: EN KOMPARATIV ANALYS En kvalitativ textanalys av EU:s krishantering i Libanon 2011 och Ukraina 2022

Abstract

The European Union’s (EU) crisis management is a highly relevant topic today, especially EU’s role as an international crisis actor. As a result, the EU's role in international crisis management has grown significantly. This research analyzes the EU's crisis management during the 2011 refugee crisis in Lebanon and the 2022 Russian war in Ukraine. The study is based on the normative power theory to examine if EU acts as a Normative Power in external crisis management in Lebanon 2011 and Ukraine in 2022 and what the differences are in EU:s crisis management in each crisis. A qualitative analysis is conducted using four fundamental EU norms and standards: human rights, the rule of law, liberty and democracy. Additionally, the study examines the presence of accountability and civil society organization (CSO) ownership in the selected material to identify potential differences between the two cases. The material consists of two Action Plans issued immediately after the outbreak of each crisis. One for Lebanon in 2011 and one for Ukraine in 2022 allowing for a comparative analysis of the EU’s crisis management and its role as an international crisis actor. The results indicate that the EU acts as a normative power in crisis management, but to varying degrees in Lebanon and Ukraine. The EU demonstrated a stronger normative approach in Ukraine in 2022 compared to Lebanon in 2011. Furthermore, accountability and CSO ownership were present in both crises, but more prominently in Ukraine in 2022. Overall, this study indicates that normative power has played a significant role in the EU’s external crisis management, as the EU largely bases its actions on its norms and values.