Does Dependence Lead to Cooperation? The Case of Resource Exchange between the European Union and the United Nations in DR Congo

The involvement of the European Union in DR Congo from 2003-2006 raised the possibility that collaboration between the United Nations and regional organizations was taking a new turn in maintaining international peace and security. From the outset it seemed as if the relationship between the United Nations and the European Union was being enhanced as the two organizations set up a framework of cooperation in the joint declarations of 2003 and 2007. However, the argument in this article is that although organizations like the United Nations and European Union are dependent on each other's resources, organizational and member state interests and capability parity (whereby two organizations have similar functional areas like police reforms or peacekeeping) create a constrained environment due to overlap and crowded operational space that negatively affects cooperation and resource sharing.