The EU’s positive evaluation, however, was also the result of the fact that the bloc tended to turn a blind eye to the human rights situation in the country prior to the outbreak of the civil war. [...] 4 This tendency on the part of the EU to only see the developments it wanted to, may be one reason why it took the bloc so long to respond to the outbreak of violence adequately and comprehend the magnitude of the conflict that has been unfolding since 2011. [...] At the same time, Chapter 7 would enable the UN to take harsh measures in case of any violations, ranging all the way to military intervention.26 Another French initiative already mentioned was to lift the arms embargo on Syria in 2013 to arm the opposition in the fight against the regime. [...] Despite initial objection, particularly from countries like Germany, Austria and Sweden, the EU agreed to drop the embargo thus allowing France and the UK to supply weapons to what was referred to as the moderate opposition.27 One of the reasons behind France taking such an active position in Syria, especially in the fight against ISIL, is that the French government considers the terrorist group a. [...] According to Lehne, “the sum of national viewpoints and the willingness to take responsibility falls far short of the total potential of the union as an international actor.”50 Olson’s concept also acknowledges the fact that the larger and more diverse a group is, the more difficult decision-making becomes.51 This is illustrated by the EU enlargements and the resultant difficulties when it comes t.
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