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Between 'soft power' and a hard place: European Union Foreign and Security Policy between the Islamic world and the United States

This paper explores the pressures operating on European Union Foreign and Security Policy in the ‘triangle of forces’ created by the European integration process, developments in the Islamic world and the responses of the United States. In the first section, the paper explores ideas about foreign po...

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Main Author: Michael Smith
Format: Default Article
Published: 2009
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2134/15009
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author Michael Smith
author_facet Michael Smith
author_sort Michael Smith (1252467)
collection Figshare
description This paper explores the pressures operating on European Union Foreign and Security Policy in the ‘triangle of forces’ created by the European integration process, developments in the Islamic world and the responses of the United States. In the first section, the paper explores ideas about foreign policy and power in the European Union (EU), as exemplified in debates about the Lisbon Treaty and the future role of the Union. The second part of the paper sets out three logics inherent in the development of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, distinguishing between the ‘internal’ logic of the European integration process, the ‘external’ logic reflecting the opportunity structure in the world arena, which creates challenges and opportunities for the EU and its Member States, and the ‘identity’ logic, which creates a move towards self-realisation and ‘self-recognition’ on the part of the EU in international politics, and relates this to recent developments in European foreign and security policy. The paper then argues that the multi-dimensional ‘triangle of forces’ between European integration, the Islamic world and the United States has played a key role in focusing these developments, by posing challenges to the three logics and creating complex linkages between them. The Conclusion asks whether as a result EU foreign policy has been ‘catalysed’ (given new impetus and direction) or ‘constrained’ (subject to a process of external or self-limitation), and points to some early indications of the impact of the Obama Administration in the United States.
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spelling rr-article-94696702009-01-01T00:00:00Z Between 'soft power' and a hard place: European Union Foreign and Security Policy between the Islamic world and the United States Michael Smith (1252467) Political science not elsewhere classified European Union Foreign and security policy United States Islam Political Science not elsewhere classified This paper explores the pressures operating on European Union Foreign and Security Policy in the ‘triangle of forces’ created by the European integration process, developments in the Islamic world and the responses of the United States. In the first section, the paper explores ideas about foreign policy and power in the European Union (EU), as exemplified in debates about the Lisbon Treaty and the future role of the Union. The second part of the paper sets out three logics inherent in the development of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, distinguishing between the ‘internal’ logic of the European integration process, the ‘external’ logic reflecting the opportunity structure in the world arena, which creates challenges and opportunities for the EU and its Member States, and the ‘identity’ logic, which creates a move towards self-realisation and ‘self-recognition’ on the part of the EU in international politics, and relates this to recent developments in European foreign and security policy. The paper then argues that the multi-dimensional ‘triangle of forces’ between European integration, the Islamic world and the United States has played a key role in focusing these developments, by posing challenges to the three logics and creating complex linkages between them. The Conclusion asks whether as a result EU foreign policy has been ‘catalysed’ (given new impetus and direction) or ‘constrained’ (subject to a process of external or self-limitation), and points to some early indications of the impact of the Obama Administration in the United States. 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 2134/15009 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Between_soft_power_and_a_hard_place_European_Union_Foreign_and_Security_Policy_between_the_Islamic_world_and_the_United_States/9469670 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
spellingShingle Political science not elsewhere classified
European Union
Foreign and security policy
United States
Islam
Political Science not elsewhere classified
Michael Smith
Between 'soft power' and a hard place: European Union Foreign and Security Policy between the Islamic world and the United States
title Between 'soft power' and a hard place: European Union Foreign and Security Policy between the Islamic world and the United States
title_full Between 'soft power' and a hard place: European Union Foreign and Security Policy between the Islamic world and the United States
title_fullStr Between 'soft power' and a hard place: European Union Foreign and Security Policy between the Islamic world and the United States
title_full_unstemmed Between 'soft power' and a hard place: European Union Foreign and Security Policy between the Islamic world and the United States
title_short Between 'soft power' and a hard place: European Union Foreign and Security Policy between the Islamic world and the United States
title_sort between 'soft power' and a hard place: european union foreign and security policy between the islamic world and the united states
topic Political science not elsewhere classified
European Union
Foreign and security policy
United States
Islam
Political Science not elsewhere classified
url https://hdl.handle.net/2134/15009