The liberal international agenda promoted by the European Union is in crisis. Despite some progress, the still very young security and defence policies put in place by the European Union has failed to reach its objectives. Europe has a problem of strategic mindset, commitment and capabilities, all of which led to the implementation of an obsolete type of humanitarian interventions and operations. More broadly, ESDP suffers from recurrent illusions about soft power, mistaken beliefs about human security and flawed assessments of risks. The gap is dangerously wide between the political conditions that made ESDP operations possible and the strategic requirements that will make them successful. The credibility of the Union as a strategic actor is at stake.