This book studies important aspects of the EU as an international actor. It deals with the EU's foreign and security policies as they have developed in recent years. Institutionally the focus is on the second pillar of the Union, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and its defence component, the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDF). The latter in particular has gone through important developments...

This book studies important aspects of the EU as an international actor. It deals with the EU's foreign and security policies as they have developed in recent years. Institutionally the focus is on the second pillar of the Union, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and its defence component, the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDF). The latter in particular has gone through important developments in recent years, taking the EU into a realm which was largely a no-go area until 1999. The book has sections on theoretical and conceptual aspects: how do we study this subject matter and how do we explain developments? The empirical chapters deal with the EU and its near abroad, mostly Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. The section on the EU's far abroad includes chapters on relations with America, Asia and Africa. Finally there are chapters looking at particular aspects of ESDP. Despite difficulties the EU is increasingly becoming an international actor. Chapter 1: "Introduction: The EU as a Foreign Policy Actor" Finn Laursen SECTION 1 THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL PERSPECTIVES Chapter 2: "Past its Peak? The European Union as a Global Actor 10 Years After Charlotte Bretherton and John Vogler Chapter 3: "Realism, Grand Strategy and the EU's International Relations" Barry Andrew Hussey Chapter 4: "Theory in the Study of CFSP: From Building a Multi-Causal/Multi-level Framework to a Synergetic Foreign Policy Institutions Theory" Maciej Wilga Chapter 5: "Soft Power Discourse and the Significance of European Foreign Policy Methods" Philippine Colson SECTION 2 THE EU AND ITS NEAR ABROAD Chapter 6: "The EU and Conflict Resolution: De Facto States in the Neighbourhood" Steven Blockmans Chapter 7: "The EU as a Global Actor in Post-Conflict Societies: The Case of Macedonia" Edward Moxon-Brown Chapter 8: "Policy-making and New Modes of Governance in the European Neighbourhood Policy" Stefan Gänzle Chapter 9: "Vortex of a Regional Security Complex: The EuroMed Partnership and its Security Relevance" Astrid B. Boening SECTION 3 THE EU AND ITS FAR ABROAD Chapter 10: "The EU and North America: Transatlantic Relations as a Tool for Improving the EU's Role as a Global Actor" Natividad Fernández Sola Chapter 11: "Engaging Regional Partners for Effective Conflict Resolution: Problems and Prospects of the EU's Strategic Partnerships in Asia" Saponti Baroowa Chapter 12: "EU Responses to Taiwan's Applications in the WTO, WHO and UN" Sigrid Winkler Chapter 13: "The EU as a Global Actor? EU Policies towards Iran and Cuba" Lynne Dryburgh Chapter 14: "A Security Actor in a Changing World? The EU in Africa" Toni Haastrup SECTION 4 POLICY MAKING ASPECTS Chapter 15: "A 'Militarisation' of the EU? The EU as a Global Actor and Neutral Member States" Nicole Alecu de Flers Chapter 16: "The Danish Defence Opt-Out: Who Cares?" Finn Laursen Chapter 17: "Concluding Thoughts: CFSP Explanations and Future Requirements" Finn Laursen Index