Preserving Hope in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

摘要

In the late 1990s the Democratic Republic of the Congo collapsed into one of the most devastating wars in modern history. In 2006 it held successful elections, and appears, albeit haltingly, on the road to long-term stability. The progress achieved owes a good deal to the cooperative nation-building efforts of the United Nations and the European Union. The EU has given the UN's long-standing mission critical military support and engaged deeply in economic, humanitarian and democratisation projects. This military strategy of 'punctuated' intervention has allowed EU governments to avoid a costly long-term commitment of troops while capitalising on the marginal value of Europe's highly capable forces when necessary.