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This article explains how and why limited use of force contributed to the surprising elimination of Somali piracy that no-one had expected. It proposes an analytical framework identifying four conditions for limited force success derived from the existing literature: (1) great power leadership, (2) Support at the international, regional and local levels, (3) Effective military forces capable of establishing escalation dominance, and (4) Limited use of force minimising collateral damage and adversary casualties. The analysis demonstrates that these four factors apply in the Somali case and explains how and why they were created even though implementation was costly and incentives for free-riding high. Although the Somali success will be hard to replicate, this case remains important because it improves our understanding of the conditions under which limited use of force can contribute to sustainable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2008.01833.x Byline: PETER VIGGO JAKOBSEN (1) Abstract: Abstract There is almost universal agreement that the European security and defence policy (ESDP) has been driven and determined by the great powers (the UK, France and Germany). I challenge this view by arguing that the Nordic countries have had a significant, and at times even decisive, influence upon the civilian ESDP. They put civilian crisis management on the ESDP agenda and successfully kept it there in the face of strong opposition led by France; they have played central roles with respect to proposing and designing its concepts and institutions; and they have consistently made disproportionate mission contributions in terms of both personnel and treasure. I identify three factors that have blinded researchers to the Nordic role and explain the Nordic influence with four explanatory factors derived from the emerging literature on the European Union (EU) and small states. I thus rely on existing theory to make an empirical contribution to the field. Author Affiliation: (1)University of Copenhagen Article note: Peter Viggo Jakobsen, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Oster Farimagsgade 5, POB 2099, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark, email pvj@ifs.ku.dk, Tel +45 35 32 33 97