This book engages with key contemporary European security issues from a variety of different theoretical standpoints, in an attempt to uncover the drivers of foreign policy and defence integration in the EU. Although European foreign policy has been attracting an ever-increasing number of International Relations (IR) scholars since the end of the Cold War, consensus on what drives European foreign policy integration has not yet emerged. This book seeks to encourage debate on this issue by examining a wide range of high-profile security issues which have roused significant interest from policy makers, academics and the public in recent years. The volume discusses, amongst other issues, the strategic posture of the European Union as a security actor, the troubled relationship with Russia, the debate regarding France’s relations with the US following France’s rapprochement with NATO and the EU’s influence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The collective intent of the contributors to highlight the drivers of EU foreign policy and defence integration ties together the wide variety of topics covered in this volume, forming it into a comprehensive overview of this issue. By paying considerable attention not just to the internal drivers of EU cooperation, but also to the critical role played by the US as an incentive or obstacle to European security, this book presents a unique contribution to this field of debate. This book will be of much interest to students of European security, IR theory, Transatlantic Relations, European politics and EU foreign policy.

International Relations Theory and the Politics of European Integration focuses on the roles of community, power and security, within the European Union. It features contributions from highly respected international scholars, and covers subjects such as: · sovereignty and European integration · the EU and the politics of migration · the internationalisation of military security · the EU as a security actor · money, finance and power · the quest for legitimacy with regards to EU enlargement.

This title was first published in 2000: Both NATO and the European Union are in the early stages of enlargement processes that will see both organizations expand to include a number of former Communist countries from Central Europe. Simultaneously, these processes ignore and exclude the interests and concerns of Russia and Turkey, respectively in the name of European security. Are both of these processes condemned to fail because of what was left out, rather than put in, to the organizational mix of both alliances? Is the leadership of NATO, for example, making the single largest, and costliest, blunder in the history of the organization? And is this being done, as well as that by the European Union, in part because of narrowly-held theoretical perspectives that define security in the most minimalist terms? Too often these processes of enlargement are discussed both out of context and in seclusion from one another, as if neither affects the other in any way, shape or form. This work brings together both processes of enlargement in order to examine whether or not similar mistakes are being made by both organizations, with grave practical consequences. This work will also examine both processes of enlargement from a critical perspective in that it will challenge the theoretically-driven conventional wisdoms of both processes. By doing so, this work will illustrate the need to go beyond these theories of International Relations and advocate the use of a number of non-traditional and very alternative positions that will assist one in developing richer, more comprehensive and inclusive explanations and understandings of these processes, as well as the field of International Relations in general. This work seeks to challenge the current state of International Relations, broadly defined, on its own ground in the hopes of presenting and developing, something newer and exciting for tomorrow.

This book examines federalism and functionalism – two fundamental, yet largely forgotten, theories of international integration. Following the recent outbreak of the war in Ukraine, policy practitioners and scholars have been in search of a deeper understanding of the likely causes of the conflict and its consequences for the European security architecture. Various theories have been deployed to this end, but international and European integration theory remains conspicuously absent. The author shows how the core tenets of integration theories developed after World War I, particularly how they viewed territoriality and geopolitical boundaries, remain as relevant today as they were almost 100 years ago.

International Relations Theory: The Essentials provides a complete and concise introduction to the study of international relations theory, covering the main theories that you'll encounter on your course. In addition, its helpful study skills section shows you how to apply your knowledge to coursework and examinations, ensuring that you get the most out of your studies. This revised second edition includes: Coverage of the key theories in international relations, including new sections on Democratic Peace Theory, Pluralism and Solidarism and Norms An updated study skills section giving you guidance on responding to feedback and avoiding plagiarism, along with hints and tips for good essay writing, how to get the most out of lectures and seminars, and exam preparation A number of useful learning features; from 'questions to ponder' and 'common pitfalls', to lists of further reading and 'taking it further' boxes, which suggest ways in which you can extend your thinking beyond the classroom Written in a clear and accessible style, International Relations Theory: The Essentials is the perfect primer for both undergraduate and graduate students new to the topic of international relations theory, or for those simply looking for a refresher.

With chapters on all the major theories of international relations, accompanied by contemporary examples from popular culture, film and literature, this Third Edition is the ideal introduction to the key perspectives in the field. Key features: 30% new content, with all chapters revised and updated Useful learning features including further reading, ′questions to ponder′, ′common pitfalls′ and ′taking it further′ boxes, to help you extend your thinking beyond the classroom Invaluable chapters on getting the best out of your knowledge of International Relations Theory in essays and exams, including real life examples of best practice.

"The historical rise of European foreign, security, and defense policy marks an important development in European politics and world politics more broadly. Long thought unlikely to amount to much, European integration in the domains of traditional "high politics" has consolidated bit by bit since the mid-1990s, under the auspices of a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and a pan-European security and defense policy (ESDP). Accordingly, European affairs in these areas have attracted increased scholarly interest. In a variety of books as well as journal articles, scholars from diverse theoretical and intellectual backgrounds have argued that European integration in these policy areas has gained considerable substance - while offering very different causal accounts for why this has occurred. These different theoretical and empirical investigations together produce a new field of study with its own research questions, vocabulary, and search for causal explanations. IR theory is now engaging fully with European integration studies and vice versa. Paradoxically, this takes place in precisely those policy areas in which European integration had long been the weakest and least developed. This article explores and evaluates this new literature that analyzes why, compared with even the very recent past, a European foreign and security policy has emerged and apparently solidified."--Editor.