Elements of power in the EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy

Kirilova, Neli (2022) Elements of power in the EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy. In: Molnár, Anna, Fiott, Daniel, Asderaki, Foteini and Paile-Calvo, Sylvain, (eds.) Challenges of the Common Security and Defence Policy: ESDC 2nd Summer University Book. European Union. Publications Office, Luxembourg, 55 - 77. ISBN 9789295201606

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Abstract

The purpose of this article is to assess the elements of power in the EU Global Strategy for foreign and security policy, and to suggest ideas for increasing the EU’s infuence on the global stage. It examines states and supranational organisations as the main actors in international relations (‘IR’), where power is understood as their capacity to exert external infuence. The methodological approach is inductive, showing the EU as a case study of my PhD’s theoretical framework of six elements of power. The security-related elements (hard power) include: 1) military, 2) economic/ investment, 3) energy/climate. The infuence-related elements (soft power) include: 4) diplomatic/political agreements, 5) governance/institutions, and 6) society/information access. The selected method is qualitative content analysis of the EU Global Strategy166 2016 and its annual reports for 2017, 2018 and 2019. It identifes the transformation of the proportional and contextual presence of each element of power. The literature review examines how the EU fts conceptually within this framework. Surprisingly, internal discussions on unity and authorship are emphasised rather than the EU’s actual external impact. Therefore, an additional EU-specifc element of power is identifed – EU unity – which is among its main security challenges. Most EU scholars agree that the EU needs to respond to external threats, which are perceived differently by its Member States. The results from the EU Global Strategy assessment show: 0) The need for unity is illustrated by constant repetition of commitment words such as we, us, our, together. They create the impression for external readers that the EU acts as a coherent mechanism. The EU could be perceived as a serious external player if it fulfls these expectations. 1) One major observation is that the four documents – EU Global Strategy 2016 and its yearly assessments 2017-2019 change their narrative from civil society to defence and security, increasing the importance of military hard power. 2) The strongest EU asset to externally project infuence is its fnancial investment. However, failure to trace how exactly and by whom the invested money is spent could damage the EU’s reputation. 3) Climate migration is considered a security issue, while little scope is given to energy security, even though energy dependence is critical for the survival of some states. 4) The EU’s diplomatic partnerships remain a strong element of power, and around 2019 different types of multilateralism address a range of security challenges. 5)&6) Concerning governance, norms, society and access to information, the EU adapts its external approach to specifc world regions, which allows adequate response to their local realities.

Item Type:	Book Section
Official URL:	https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publi...
Additional Information:	© 2022 European Security and Defence College
Divisions:	IGA: LSE IDEAS
Subjects:	J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) J Political Science > JZ International relations
Date Deposited:	08 Oct 2024 14:12
Last Modified:	08 Oct 2024 14:24
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/125667

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