Swedish Institute of International Affairs

About: Swedish Institute of International Affairs is a nonprofit organization based out in Stockholm, Sweden. It is known for research contribution in the topics: European union & Politics. The organization has 82 authors who have published 233 publications receiving 4274 citations. The organization is also known as: Utrikespolitiska Institutet.

Why Do Soldiers Rape? Masculinity, Violence, and Sexuality in the Armed Forces in the Congo (DRC)

Abstract: This article explores the ways soldiers in the Congo speak about the massive amount of rape committed by the armed forces in the recent war in the DRC. It focuses on the reasons that the soldiers give to why rape occurs. It discusses how the soldiers distinguish between “lust rapes” and “evil rapes” and argues that their explanations of rape must be understood in relation to notions of different (impossible) masculinities. Ultimately, through reading the soldiers’ words, we can glimpse the logics—arguably informed by the increasingly globalized context of soldiering—through which rape becomes possible, and even “normalized” in particular warscapes.

Introduction: ethical power Europe?

Abstract: It is ironic that at a time when the momentum for integration in Europe is at one of its lowest ebbs for a long time following the debacle of the European Constitu tion, the EU is seeking to position itself as a global player with a broad spectrum of civilian and military capabilities?an ambition which touches on the highly sensitive issues of member states' sovereignty and nationhood. The Union of 27 is in search of a new sense of collective purpose and legitimacy and this, it appears, is to be found in foreign and security relations. This external role is articulated in a discourse of universal ethics which defines the EU as a 'power for good' and a 'peacebuilder' in the world. The acquisition of a military capability has gone hand in hand with an emphasis on the EU as a 'force for good', thereby justifying these new power capabilities in European foreign policy. Underpinning this notion of 'ethical power Europe' (EPE) is a conceptual shift in the EU's role and aspirations from what it 'is' to what it 'does': from simply representing a 'power of attraction' and a positive role model to proac tively working to change the world in the direction of its vision of the 'global common good'. In the words of the European Security Strategy, the EU should be more 'capable' and 'responsible' and take on new tasks in the areas of crisis management, peacekeeping, state-building, and reconstructing failing states? complementing the important role it has already played in the fields of develop ment aid and humanitarian assistance.2 According to this discourse, in conceiving

Managing Transboundary Crises: What Role for the European Union?

Abstract: The nation-state faces an increasing number of what we refer to as ‘‘transboundary threats.’’ A transboundary threat is characterized by the potential to cross geographical and functional boundaries. These characteristics outstrip the capacity of nation-states and national bureaucracies that were designed to deal with more classic threats. Theinstitutional challenge, we argue, is to build effective transboundary systems for managing these complex threats. In this essay, we ask what role the European Union can play in such an endeavor. We document the EU’s growing crisis management and security capacities and offer an initial assessment of these capacities. We surmise that the EU will play a significant but rather circumscribed role, one which reflects the EU’s unique system of supranational governance.

Managing Transboundary Crises: What Role for the European Union?

Abstract: The nation-state faces an increasing number of what we refer to as “transboundary threats.” A transboundary threat is characterized by the potential to cross geographical and functional boundaries. These characteristics outstrip the capacity of nation-states and national bureaucracies that were designed to deal with more classic threats. The institutional challenge, we argue, is to build effective transboundary systems for managing these complex threats. In this essay, we ask what role the European Union can play in such an endeavor. We document the EU’s growing crisis management and security capacities and offer an initial assessment of these capacities. We surmise that the EU will play a significant but rather circumscribed role, one which reflects the EU’s unique system of supranational governance.