European Journal of International Relations, Dec 1, 1998
Conflicts over the shape of the European Union are usually modelled as conflicts of interests. Th... more Conflicts over the shape of the European Union are usually modelled as conflicts of interests. This article argues that the development of a polity depends not only on interests but also on normative ideas about a legitimate political order (`polity-ideas'). These polity-ideas are extremely stable over time and resistant to change because they are linked to the identity and basic normative orientations of the actors involved. The article has four parts: (1) a theoretical argument how to link ideas and polity development in the EU, (2) a methodological discussion containing four ideal-typical polity-ideas about the EU, (3) a comparative analysis of the development of these ideas in France, Germany and the United Kingdom from 1950 to 1995, and (4) a summary of the empirical findings and a discussion of areas of research for which the theoretical approach and the empirical results presented here might be useful.
Introduction 1. Liberalism 2. Realism 3. Structuralism 4. Critical theory 5. Postmodernism 6. Fem... more Introduction 1. Liberalism 2. Realism 3. Structuralism 4. Critical theory 5. Postmodernism 6. Feminist Perspectives 7. Social Constructivism 8. Green Perspectives Conclusions, Key Debates and New Directions Glossary of key or problem terms
European Journal of International Relations, Dec 1, 1998
Conflicts over the shape of the European Union are usually modelled as conflicts of interests. Th... more Conflicts over the shape of the European Union are usually modelled as conflicts of interests. This article argues that the development of a polity depends not only on interests but also on normative ideas about a legitimate political order (`polity-ideas'). These polity-ideas are extremely stable over time and resistant to change because they are linked to the identity and basic normative orientations of the actors involved. The article has four parts: (1) a theoretical argument how to link ideas and polity development in the EU, (2) a methodological discussion containing four ideal-typical polity-ideas about the EU, (3) a comparative analysis of the development of these ideas in France, Germany and the United Kingdom from 1950 to 1995, and (4) a summary of the empirical findings and a discussion of areas of research for which the theoretical approach and the empirical results presented here might be useful.
Introduction 1. Liberalism 2. Realism 3. Structuralism 4. Critical theory 5. Postmodernism 6. Fem... more Introduction 1. Liberalism 2. Realism 3. Structuralism 4. Critical theory 5. Postmodernism 6. Feminist Perspectives 7. Social Constructivism 8. Green Perspectives Conclusions, Key Debates and New Directions Glossary of key or problem terms
The traditional literature on Europeanization conceptualised the phenomenon as a onesided sociali... more The traditional literature on Europeanization conceptualised the phenomenon as a onesided socialisation process in which EU rules, norms and policies trickled down to member states. This was especially true for new member states. In the case of Cyprus, this interpretation has been particularly obvious, and not only among academics. Among politicians as well there was a view, even after the Annan Plan had failed, that Cyprus could be socialised into a particular mode of ‘European thinking’, much like Greece had experienced over the decades of its membership, which would allow for a solution to the conflict in the medium- to long-term. While it is empirically too early to say whether this view was right or wrong, the present signs are far from encouraging, and may even point in the direction of a reverse socialisation effect, whereby several member states appear to have internalised the logic of the Republic of Cyprus in its approach towards Turkey’s accession negotiations. Indeed the fact that almost half of the substantive chapters in Turkey’s accession negotiations have been blocked due to the Cyprus impasse cannot be viewed as being the responsibility of the Republic of Cyprus alone, but rather of other – often Turkey-sceptic – member states that have been willingly socialised into accepting the Republic’s discourse over the link between the conflict and Turkey’s accession. At the same time, the one-sided, top-down version of Europeanization has come under intense theoretical debate, and authors increasingly stress the ambiguous nature of Europeanization. In this article we will review this debate in order to demonstrate that the integration process did have an impact on Cyprus, but that this impact changed the political terms of the debate without imposing a particular way forward towards conflict transformation. It has enabled political actors to alter and strengthen their arguments both in favour and against a solution and allowed the Republic of Cyprus to influence the EU’s stance towards the conflict. This makes the Cyprus conflict a prime example to warn against unidirectional conceptualisations of Europeanization, whether in academia or politics.
This paper develops the concept of spatial imaginations as the constructions of places as meaning... more This paper develops the concept of spatial imaginations as the constructions of places as meaningful entities that establish identities of self and other through particular narratives and associated practices. It argues that traditionally, International Relations has ignored question of space despite their obvious centrality to the discipline. This has changed with the "spatial turn", which has its precursors in critical scholarship, especially drawing on sociology and political geography. The paper traces these contributions to the conceptual development of space in its material and discursive dimensions. It proposes that spatial imaginations are central to relations between "Turkey" and "Europe", establishing both as meaningful yet contested entities. In the works collated in the special issue of which this paper serves as an introduction, we may thus see facets of three core claim of the spatial turn: that space matters,that space needs to be made, and that spaces need to be formed. Against the prevailing attempts to fix the meaning of the spaces of "Turkey" and "Europe", I end with a plea to provide room for the articulation of a multiplicity of spatial imaginations.
livre relations economiques et commerce international : 1.: thomas diez and antje wiener: introdu... more livre relations economiques et commerce international : 1.: thomas diez and antje wiener: introduction, part. b part 1: explaining integration /b . 2.: michael burgess: federalism, 3.: philippe schmitter: neofunctionalism, 4.: frank schimmelfennig: intergovernmentalism, part. ...
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