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EU Backs France’s ‘Mutual Defense’ Request
European ministers backed France’s request to trigger the bloc’s mutual defense clause Tuesday, opening the way for assistance to help Paris boost security at home and reinforce its overseas operations. French President François Hollande on Monday requested the activation of the European Union treaty’s self-defense clause, which commits governments to help a member that is “the victim of armed aggression.”

The clause had never been invoked before, leaving unclear the level of assistance member states will feel compelled to provide.

French officials have said they don’t want to invoke the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s mutual-defense clause, arguing the current U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State is more nimble. There are also concerns that invoking the NATO treaty, which was only done once, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the U.S., could serve as a propaganda boost for Islamic State.
Personally I'd worry a lot less about a "propaganda boost" for ISIS and more about rallying the home town folks...
However, while EU assistance for France’s efforts to scale up domestic security should be straightforward, there may be more wariness about direct support for its military attacks on Islamic State.
Because war is ucky...
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called the French decision to activate the mutual-defense clause “first of all, a political act, a political message.”
War is a political act too, but at some point you start slitting throats and collecting heads...
She said the tool is mainly intended to intensify bilateral cooperation but that the EU is given some role in coordinating those efforts. She said many ministers had already announced offers of “material assistance” that could help free up French capabilities.

Before Tuesday’s meeting, two French officials said Paris hoped triggering the self-defense clause would prod the bloc to advance its work on other security issues, including better border control and increased intelligence-sharing.
Posted by: Pappy 2015-11-18
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=435999