Honors Theses
Date of Award
1-1-2010
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Croft Institute for International Studies
First Advisor
Matthew Loveless
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
JESSICA ANN BECK: Challenging EU Solidarity? : German-Russian Relations (Under the direction of Dr. Matthew Loveless)
The European Union and its ability to function as a unified actor in the international sphere will be analyzed in this thesis. When the 27 member states of the EU act as one, this institution clearly has tremendous power to adjust international politics in its favor. In addressing the EU’s ability to act in a unified manner in the international environment, this thesis will analyze how bilateral relations affect unity in EU foreign policy. Often, the actions of individual nations are blamed for the EU's failure to achieve goals in foreign policy. Thus, this thesis will set out the case for the EU's performance in the context of German-Russian relations and EU-Russian energy policy, and demonstrate how this particular issue is instructive on the larger question ofEU unity.
In analyzing EU foreign policy, a test measuring “actorness”, or the ability of the EU to achieve actor status in foreign policy, will be constructed from criteria found in the literature. These criteria include authority, recognition, autonomy, cohesion, and capability. Ifthe EU is not able to fulfill each of the criteria for actorness, then it will fail to achieve actor status.
Although the results of this research demonstrate a failure of the EU to achieve actor status, the test of actorness is helpful in that it highlights the strengths and weakness of the EU in international affairs. As the EU is an ever-developing institution, the findings of this research will be applied to new changes being made in the current EU, with particular consideration for the adoption ofthe Lisbon Treaty.
Recommended Citation
Beck, Jessica Ann, "Challenging EU Solidarity? : German-Russian Relations" (2010). Honors Theses. 2767.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2767
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