Contemporary European Foreign Policy

The contributors to this volume examine the latest developments in European foreign policy. The text provides a complete overview of the ways in which the very nature of foreign policy in Europe has changed and advances new insights into contemporary European foreign policy analysis.

This major new book introduces and examines the latest developments in European foreign policy. It provides a complete overview of the ways in which the very nature of foreign policy in Europe has changed and advances new insights into contemporary European foreign policy analysis. The book is structured around three parts. Part one provides a concise overview of the latest theories and concepts in this growing field of study and research. Part two assembles and reviews a series of contemporary issue areas including security and defense, economic foreign policy, diplomacy, national cooperation, human rights, and sovereignty. Part three mirrors and builds on Part two by providing an applied case study to each of the preceding topics. Throughout the book the authors address and incorporate both the national and European Union levels of foreign policy and explore the complex interactions between the two. The result is a book that will be essential reading for all students and researchers seeking a deeper understanding of European foreign policy today and the wider implications for future foreign policy analysis in politics and international relations.

The second edition of European Union Foreign Policy in a Changing World provides a clear introduction to the complexities of contemporary European foreign policy and offers a fresh and distinctive perspective on the nature of the EU’s international identity. Thoroughly revised and expanded, the book explores how and why the EU tries to achieve five core foreign policy objectives: the encouragement of regional cooperation; the advancement of human rights; the promotion of democracy and good governance; the prevention of violent conflicts; and the fight against international crime, including terrorism. In pursuing these goals, the book illustrates how the EU is faced with acute policy dilemmas because the five objectives not only clash with each other, but also with additional policy priorities – such as securing energy supplies or establishing strategic partnerships with key powers. The uniqueness of the EU as a global actor is carefully assessed, and its key policies and the related dilemmas it faces compared with those of other international actors. This well-written and thoroughly researched book will be a valuable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students of European politics, foreign policy analysis, international relations and related disciplines.

This ground-breaking volume provides a new perspective on the EU’s foreign policy and offers a reconstruction of EU research that extends beyond narrow-minded concepts of ‘power’ and ‘actorness’. Focusing on two intertwined research questions, it presents a more sustainable base for studying EU foreign policy: What is the EU’s foreign policy quality in terms of ‘actorness’ and ‘power’ compared to other types of actors in international relations and global politics? What factors influence the EU’s foreign policy performance in comparison to states and international organizations? This guiding principle and application of a ‘grounded theory’ or ‘heuristic case study’ approach allows the book to deliver a structured comparative analysis of EU foreign policy, comparing findings across policy fields, different legal foundations and respective policy modes of governance. This book will be of key interest to students and scholars of European Union studies, European Union foreign policy studies, international relations, and security policy studies.

This book examines the evolution of Spanish foreign policy since 1975, through five different presidencies, spanning its transformation from a dictatorial political system and backward economy to a modern European state, fully democratic and with a well-functioning market economy, under strain from the Eurozone Sovereign Debt crisis. It explains how domestic developments and external factors have combined to shape Spain’s international relations, assessing the impact of EU membership and providing an example of how middle powers can pursue their foreign policy objectives in the international system. The authors explore a range of topics including: Defence and security Economy and development Soft power Spanish policy towards the EU, the United States, Latin America, the Mediterranean, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Spanish politics and history, European Union studies, foreign policy, international relations and security studies.

This volume brings together senior practitioners and academic specialists to consider how the EU’s new foreign policy has been evolving and how the various actors are maintaining the holistic approach intended by the draftsmen of the 2009 Lisbon Treaty.

This text is the best introduction to the history, institutions, actors, processes and challenges of European Foreign Policy. This 2nd edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the substantial changes to European Foreign Policy as a result of the Lisbon Treaty and other significant changes in European and global politics. New material for this edition includes: detailed analysis of the changes brought about by the Lisbon treaty including the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the new EU External Action Service changing transatlantic relations since the election of President Obama expanded discussion of the European and Security Defence missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and elsewhere an assessment of the impact of the relations between the EU and its three strategic partners – China, India and Japan –as well as ASEAN and the new FTA with Korea evaluation of the global financial crisis on the EU, examining EU’s external relations within the context of a rapidly changing global power structure. With clearly illustrated up-to-date case studies, covering major issues such as Egypt, Libya, Iraq and Iran, each chapter includes key questions and suggestions for further reading. As such, An Introduction to European Foreign Policy continues to be essential reading for all students of European and international politics as well as those who wish to become involved in the external relations of the EU.

Introduces and examines developments in European foreign policy. Part 1 provides an overview of the latest theories and concepts in this field. Part 2 assembles and reviews a series of contemporary issue areas including security and defense, economic foreign policy, diplomacy, national cooperation, human rights, and sovereignty. Part 3 provides an applied case study to each of the preceding topics. The authors address and incorporate both the national and European Union levels of foreign policy and explore the complex interactions between the two.