Rule of law: a tool for security implementation in post-war contexts : An analysis of the EU’s engagement in Kosovo through the assessment of the political capability of EULEX

Corruption and low judicial structures are two downsides that post-conflict reconstruction countries are experiencing when declaring independence. In the case of Kosovo, at the eve of its unilateral independence, there were no definite objectives launched by neighboring countries in order to counter the flaws introduced by the new actuality of things. The EULEX mission launched the same year of Kosovo’s independence is often seen as a major step by the EU in order to implement security in a post-war context, through the introduction of a tool said to help to strengthen policies: the rule of law. However, it has been seen that it is not the first time the EU is getting involved in such missions under such circumstances, leaving individuals speculating on the true intentions of the EU within its foreign policy. This research aims at analyzing the EU engagement in Kosovo from a rationalist lens, with the help of the theory of political and democratic capabilities introduced by March & Olsen in 1995. The research question being: ‘How and to what extent is the EU developing political capabilities to implement security in post-war countries?’, it is intending on assessing if EULEX Kosovo has developed political capabilities and the extent of it, in order to determinate the commitment of the EU to establish security in the country