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The EU has developed its global role in recent years. This has taken place by developing procedures for foreign policy and in the deployment of civilian and military missions internationally. However, the EU suffers from weaknesses that limit its ability to exercise significant global influence and that are apparent in the EU's relationship with the rising powers. The article analyses these limitations which encompass the EU's 'hardware' — its capacity to deploy fully the capabilities of all its constituent Member States – and failings in its 'software' — incoherence and inconsistency in the definition and application of its ideas guiding the EU's global role.

The EU has developed its global role in recent years. This has taken place by developing procedures for foreign policy and in the deployment of civilian and military missions internationally. However, the EU suffers from weaknesses that limit its ability to exercise significant global influence and that are apparent in the EU's relationship with the rising powers. The article analyses these limitations which encompass the EU's 'hardware' - its capacity to deploy fully the capabilities of all its constituent Member States - and failings in its 'software' - incoherence and inconsistency in the definition and application of its ideas guiding the EU's global role. Adapted from the source document.

Whitman reviews Allies At War: America, Europe, and the Crisis over Iraq by Philip H. Gordon and Jeremy Shapiro.

The enlargement of the European Union on May 1 concludes a process that began over a decade ago. Although the increase in membership from fifteen to twenty-five will not be the final expansion, the arrival of so many new recruits at any one time in future is highly unlikely. This is not to underestimate the challenges that further enlargement will present -- the decision on opening negotiations with Turkey will dominate discussion toward the end of the year -- but future growth will follow a tested & refined accession process. So what will be the new big idea? It could just be enlargement. Adapted from the source document.

The central focus of this paper is the concept of 'civilian power Europe', which has been associated with the characterisation and examination of the international role of the EU for almost thirty years. The paper outlines the notion of civilian power Europe as originally formulated, examines how the idea has been used and adapted (or refuted) across time, and explores whether the idea has continuing utility in the early twenty-first century. Central to this analysis is a consideration of whether the conception of civilian power Europe was undermined by the creation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the subsequent development of the Common European Security and Defence Policy. The paper concludes that civilian power Europe still has empirical and theoretical purchase when the EU is considered in the context of the contemporary international relations of Europe. It demonstrates the need to develop a clear conception of the international capabilities of the EU if appropriate forms of understanding of the international role of the EU are to be developed.