Abstract
The Euro, refugees, Brexit, thriving right-wing populism and time and again a lack of coherence and consistency in EU foreign policy, as in Iraq 2003 or in Libya in 2011—seem to point to the EU in crisis. The idea of normative power Europe (NPE) essentially entails that the EU has a transformative impact on international society also outside its own borders. In light of such developments, the question arises whether such a transformative impact still seems possible. Rather than dealing with all such different moments of crisis, this article focuses on an alleged EU foreign policy crisis and asks whether—as NPE sceptics argue—inconsistencies and a lack of coherence in EU foreign policy undermines the idea of a transformative agenda and thus puts NPE to crisis. This article introduces the concept of ambiguity as a particular way of studying NPE. Ambiguity in this sense is an inevitable feature of the social world—of the EU as a global actor and of processes of change. Thus, the argument is put forward that ambiguity does not necessarily impinge on the EU’s transformative agenda. Rather than being an indication of a foreign policy crisis, the ambiguous nature of the EU and resulting ambiguous policies actually do underpin the EU’s transformational potential.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
The records of the meeting can be found at the HRC Extranet (https://extranet.ohchr.org/sites/hrc/Pages/default.aspx); fourth regular session of the HRC, 16 March, tenth Meeting, Segment 4
For a summary with shortened versions of some statements, see http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/index.php/crises/37-the-crisis-in-darfur/944-human-rights-council-discusses-report-of-highlevel-mission-on-situation-of-human-rights-in-darfur
References
Bain W (2014) The pluralist-solidarist debate in the English school. In: Navari C, Green D (eds) Guide to the English school in international studies. Wiley-Blackwell: Hoboken 159–169
Bellamy AJ (2009) Realizing the responsibility to protect. Int Stud Perspect 10(2):111–128. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-3585.2009.00365.x
Borg S (2013) European integration and the problem of the state: universality, particularity, and exemplarity in the crafting of the European Union. J Int Relat Dev 17:1–28. https://doi.org/10.1057/jird.2013.8
Brockmeier S, Kurtz G, Junk J (2014) Emerging norm and rhetorical tool: Europe and a responsibility to protect. Confl Secur Dev 14(4):429–460. https://doi.org/10.1080/14678802.2014.930587
Brodocz A (2005) Die Grundrechtecharta der Europäischen Union und ihre Chancen zur symbolischen Integration Europas. In: Ulbert C, Weller C (eds) Konstruktivistische Analysen der internationalen Politik. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden, pp 191–214
Bull H (1966) The Grotian conception of international society. In: Butterfield H, Wight M (eds) Diplomatic investigations. Allen & Unwin, London, pp 51–73
Buzan B (2004) From international to world society? English school theory and the social structure of globalisation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Buzan B (2014) An introduction to the English school of international relations. The societal approach. Polity Press, Cambridge
Carstensen MB (2011) Paradigm man vs. the bricoleur. Bricolage as an alternative vision of agency in ideational change. Eur Pol Sci Rev 3(01):147–167. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773910000342
Chayes A, Chayes AH (1993) On compliance. Int Organ 47(02):175. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818300027910
Cicero (1962) Vom Redner. De Oratore. Translated and with an introduction by Raphael Kühner. Goldmann, München
de Baere G (2012) Some reflections on the EU and the responsibility to protect. Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies Working Paper Series No. 79
Diez T, Manners I, Whitman RG (2011) The changing nature of international institutions in Europe: the challenge of the European Union. J Eur Integr 33(2):117–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2011.543522
European Union (2016) Shared vision, common action: a stronger europe. A global strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and security policy. Accessed 15 Feb 2017
Evans GJ (2014) The consequences of non-intervention in Syria: does the responsibility to protect have a future? In: Murray RW, McKay A (eds) Into the eleventh hour: R2P, Syria and humanitarianism in crisis. E-international relations, Bristol: 26–33
Evans GJ, Sahnoun M (2001) The responsibility to protect. Report of the international commission on intervention and state sovereignty. International Development Research Centre, Ottawa
Gioia DA, Nag R, Corley KG (2012) Visionary ambiguity and strategic change. The virtue of vagueness in launching major organizational change. J Manag Inq 21(4):364–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492612447229
Human Rights Council (2007a) Report of the high-level mission on the situation of human rights in darfur pursuant to human rights council decision S-4/101
Human Rights Council (2007b) EU draft resolution on human rights situation in Darfur. http://www.humanrightsvoices.org/assets/attachments/documents/L7_EU_Darfur_490.doc
Human Rights Council (2007c) Follow-up to decision S-4/101 of 13 December 2006 adopted by the Human Rights Council at its fourth special session entitled “Situation of human rights in Darfur”
Knudsen TB (2013) The responsibility to protect: European contributions in a changing world order. In: Jørgensen KE, Laatikainen KV (eds) Routledge Handbook on the European Union and International Institutions. Performance, policy, power. Routledge, London, pp 157–170
Levine DN (1985) The flight from ambiguity. Essays in social and cultural theory. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Luck EC (2009) Sovereignty, choice, and the responsibility to protect. Glob Responsibility Protect 1:10–21
Manners I (2002) Normative power Europe: a contradiction in terms? J Common Mark Stud 40(2):235–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5965.00353
Manners I (2008) The normative ethics of the European Union. Int Aff 84(1):65–80
Mérand F (2012) Bricolage: a sociological approach to the making of CSDP. In: Kurowska X, Breuer F (eds) Explaining the EU’s common security and defence policy. Theory in action. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp 136–161
Morris J (2013) Libya and Syria: R2P and the spectre of the swinging pendulum. Int Aff 89(5):1265–1283. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2346.12071
Nicolaidis K, Nicolaidis D (2006) The EuroMed beyond civilisational paradigms. In: Adler E, Bicchi F, Crawford B, Del Sarto RA (eds) The convergence of civilizations. Constructing a Mediterranean region. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp 337–375
O'Mahoney J (2014) Rule tensions and the dynamics of institutional change. From ‘To the victor go the spoils’ to the Stimson doctrine. Eur J Int Rel 20(3):834–857. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066113483781
Richards IA (1965 [1936]) The philosophy of rhetoric. The Mary Flexner lectures on the humanities, vol 3. Oxford University Press, London
Sandholtz W (2008) Dynamics of international norm change. Rules against wartime plunder. Eur J Int Rel 14(1):101–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066107087766
Scheffler I (1979) Beyond the letter. A Philosophical inquiry into ambiguity, vagueness and metaphor in language. International library of philosophy and scientific method. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London
Shore C (2004) Whither European citizenship?: Eros and civilization revisited. Eur J Soc Theory 7(1):27–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368431004040018
Smith M (2004) Toward a theory of EU foreign policy-making. Multi-level governance, domestic politics, and National Adaptation to Europe's common foreign and security policy. J Eur Publ Policy 11(4):740–758. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350176042000248124
Smith KE (2006) Speaking with one voice? European Union co-ordination on human rights issues at the United Nations. J Common Mark Stud 44(1):113–137
Smith KE (2010) The European Union at the human rights council: speaking with one voice but having little influence. J Eur Publ Policy 17(2):224–241
Smith KE (2014) European Union foreign policy in a changing world, 3rd ed. Polity Press, Cambridge
Thakur R (2013) R2P after Libya and Syria: engaging emerging powers. Wash Q 36(2):61–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/0163660X.2013.791082
Thomas DC (2012) Still punching below its weight? Coherence and effectiveness in European Union foreign policy. J Common Mark Stud 50(3):457–474. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2011.02244.x
Tiilikainen T (2014) The EU’s international identity and the construction of the international order: What does the normative power debate offer to IR studies? Eur Rev Int Stud 1(1):125–131
UN General Assembly (2005) 2005 world summit outcome. New York
Weimar K (2009) Modifikation der Eindeutigkeit: Eine Miszelle. In: Berndt F, Kammer S (eds) Amphibolie, Ambiguität, Ambivalenz. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg, pp 53–59
Weinert MS (2011) Reframing the pluralist-solidarist debate. Millennium J Int Stud 40(1):21–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305829811406036
Weiss TG (2011) RtoP alive and well after Libya. Ethics Int Aff 25(3):287–292. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0892679411000220
Wheeler NJ (1992) Pluralist or solidarist conceptions of international society: bull and Vincent on humanitarian intervention. Millennium J Int Stud 21(3):463–487. https://doi.org/10.1177/03058298920210030201
Wheeler NJ, Egerton F (2009) The responsibility to protect: ‘Precious commitment’ or a promise unfulfilled? Glob Responsibility Protect 1:114–132
Wiener A (2004) Contested compliance: interventions on the normative structure of world politics. Eur J Int Rel 10(2):189–234
Williams J (2005) Pluralism, solidarism and the emergence of world society in English school theory. Int Rel 19(1):19–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047117805050060
Wittgenstein L (1971) Philosophische Untersuchungen. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main
Wouters J, de Man P (2013) The responsibility to protect and regional organisations: the example of the European Union. Leuven Centre for Global Governance studies working paper series no 101:1–28. doi: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2274738
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ahrens, B. Normative power Europe in crisis? Understanding the productive role of ambiguity for the EU’s transformative agenda. Asia Eur J 16, 199–212 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10308-018-0507-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10308-018-0507-8