European Union's evolving Libya policy: Migration and security

The study evaluates the institutional structure of the European Union and the policy analyzes of its member states in the context of migration and security in the context of Realist theory in the discipline of international relations. The research topic of the study is "Why the European Union member states could not follow a common policy before and after the Libyan crisis". When Libya is the focus of the research, the results reveal the differences in the perspectives of the European Union member states towards this state. Therefore, the differences in the immigration and security policy approaches of the member states of the Union emerge in the context of the Libyan events. The study, carried out in the context of migration and security, focuses on the institutional structure of the European Union and the relations of the member states with Libya. In the evaluation phase, it is examined why the member states have not been able to put forward the expected common strategy, attitude and action for Libyan relations in the historical process, in the context of migration and security. Realist theory has been adopted in the study because states still strongly prioritize their security over other policies. By examining the developments in Libya before and after Muammar Gaddafi, the institutional structure of the European Union and the interactions of the member states in this process will be evaluated. While the nationalist qualities of Libyan citizens, who were mostly exposed to colonialism in the historical process, remained weak, a religious and anti-Western belonging was adopted. After the colonial order, the regimes of King Idris and Muammar Gaddafi dominated the country, while democracy was not seen. Therefore, the political preferences of the rulers from the monarchical order have also been the determinant of state policies. Libya has oil resources, is located in a very important geography in the south of Europe and has an important position on the migration route, which has made it an inevitable actor that should be taken into account by the European Union. Especially after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the phenomenon of irregular migration associated with security has made the relations between the European Union and Libya more important. After the terrorist attacks in Europe, irregular migration became the main agenda item. The Libyan crisis is a very convenient case study in order to analyze the policies of the member states of the Union in the context of migration and security. From this point of view, both the political relations of the member states of the Union with each other in the context of integration theories and their foreign actions on the Libyan policy can be analyzed on the axis of national interests. While the national interests of the European Union member states are still very strongly protected, the most important element of this is security. When it comes to their security, the member states of the Union put their integration strategies into the background. They are reluctant to transfer their sovereignty to the higher authority against irregular migration movements, which they consider very important for their security. In addition, they do not hesitate to act as can be seen in the example of Libya, even if it is against each other's interests for their migration and security. The Libyan events are a very convenient area to analyze why the member states of the European Union have failed to act jointly. The study aims to contribute to the scientific field by completing this deficiency in the scientific literature.