European Foreign and Security Policy

Description

One of the most significant trends of the 21st century has been the rapid development of the European Union’s involvement in global international affairs. This short course examines current European Union foreign policy activities which include peace and reconciliation interventions (in areas such as the Mali, Congo and Aceh); a growing security role for Europe in terms of an autonomous EU military capacity (separate from NATO); and an international diplomatic role (as seen in Iran, Ukraine and the Middle East for example).  

Characterizations of Europe’s global role vary enormously: to the one extreme, the EU is defined as a ‘Superpower’ in the making (the leading environmental and development actor, for example), to the other it has been criticised in the past as essentially a “hobbled” civilian actor that eschews military intervention. The literature even debates whether the EU possesses ‘actorness’ and can be compared with State actors effectively. At the turn of the Millennium the notion of “Normative Power Europe” (NPE) emerged, only to be more recently challenged by the resurgence of Realpolitik hard power as well as radicalised terrorism. The BREXIT decision of 2016 has added further to this self and external perception. This course examines and critically evaluates these competing interpretations.