Multinational Rapid Response Mechanisms

"This edited volume is one of the very few publications which offers a cross-institutional perspective on rapid response instruments which is largely missing in the literature. The book critically examines the many limitations rapid response is facing in practice without forgetting its importance for more effective international crisis response. It is a book which rightly deserves a place in the bookshelf of anyone interested in the intricacies of international crisis response." - Malte Brosig, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

"This book provides a remarkably comprehensive overview of rapid response mechanisms, earning a place on the bookshelf of anybody interested in contemporary peace operations. The first chapters provide detailed, up-to-date analyses of the trajectory of policy initiatives in the African Union, the European Union, NATO, and the UN, similarly structured to facilitate comparison. Critically, however, the book also highlights that these organizations typically interact - not always positively, and sometimes in "dysfunctional competition" - in responding to contemporary crises, and that ad hoc arrangements have been common alternatives to the effective deployment of formal rapid response mechanisms." - Katharina Coleman, University of British Columbia, Canada

"Multilateral rapid military responses are often called for in conflict situations around the globe, yet always prove problematic. They require coordination of a considerable number of political and military actors at various levels, including interplay among international organizations such as the UN, NATO, the European Union and the African Union. By combining a common inter-organizational approach with a wide range of in-depth case studies, the contributors to this pioneering volume manage to uncover factors that hamper as well as facilitate rapid multilateral interventions. A veritable tour de force!" - Christer Joensson, Lund University, Sweden

"Among the key questions for any military response are: what goes where, how big, and how fast? Speed saves lives when responding to crises. Curiously, rigorous studies of rapid response mechanisms are limited. This volume fills the gap. It provides a comprehensive, comparative approach to the topic from a list of top scholars in the field. Experts, practitioners, and students alike should read it. It is destined to be the key text on the topic for some time to come." - Adam Lupel, International Peace Institute, USA