THE IRAQ AND SYRIAN QUAGMIRE

IMPLICATIONS FOR EUROPEAN SECURITY

Abstract

National security and state survival are two fundamental features of international relations. According to the Realist school of thought, a state must maintain supreme authority over its territory i.e. sovereignty and must have the ability to deal with all sorts of threats, whether domestic or international. Taking the case of contemporary Europe’s security, this paper examines the various challenges the European Union member states are facing due to the ongoing crises in Iraq and Syria and the measures they are taking for dealing with these challenges.