Conflict and cooperation between the EU and UN peace missions in The Democratic Republic of Congo 2003-2008

Sub title: A conceptual analysis of inter-organizational theory perspective on EU-UN collaboration in DR Congo. Although the UN Charter highlights the importance of regional arrangements to international EU-UN cooperation in peacekeeping has only blossomed after the collaborations in DR Congo. The EU-UN partnership proved crucial to ending the conflict in Ituri in 2003, the successful holding of elections and facilitating the peace building process. The partnership however has proved imperfect. Research has shown that the partnership also creates potential for conflict among actors within the EU and UN. This is especially the case in the field despite the potential of the partnership to achieve more in international security. This paper will argue that informal networks have the potential to enhance EU-UN partnerships. The argument relies on inter-organisational theory to understand the dynamics of the EU-UN partnership. Inter-organisational theory offers useful conceptual tools such as informal networks in formal organisational partnerships. In the case of EU-UN partnership, the inter-organization theory is a useful tool for analysis because it moves away from the politics of member states into the interaction of the organisations. This paper is interested in the roles of informal networks in EU-UN partnership in DR Congo. It will address whether the use of informal networks suggests a deadlock in the EU-UN relations. It will further elucidate on how such informal networks are formed and whether they contribute constructively to the EU-UN relations.