Helene Sjursen – författare

This new book takes a unique approach to the study of European enlargement, tackling key questions.

What kind of understanding of the EU do the enlargement processes speak to? Do decisions to enlarge mainly suggest that the EU is a free market, focusing on potential economic gains? Do they indicate that there is a sense of common European identity? Or is the focus primarily on securing respect for democratic principles and human rights?

Offering up-to-date studies of the EU enlargement processes and country-specific in-depth analyses, Questioning EU Enlargement will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of European studies, international relations and politics.

This new book takes a unique approach to the study of European enlargement, tackling key questions.

What kind of understanding of the EU do the enlargement processes speak to? Do decisions to enlarge mainly suggest that the EU is a free market, focusing on potential economic gains? Do they indicate that there is a sense of common European identity? Or is the focus primarily on securing respect for democratic principles and human rights?

Offering up-to-date studies of the EU enlargement processes and country-specific in-depth analyses, Questioning EU Enlargement will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of European studies, international relations and politics.

This book reorients the study of European foreign and security policy towards the question of democracy. Blending insights from international relations and democratic theory, it aims to enhance our understanding of the issues at stake. The main structures, the institutional setting and the procedures that govern decision-making in this domain are examined. In this way, the book supplements studies with a more traditional focus on the substance of foreign policy. What are the democratic challenges in this distinct field of policy-making?

The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the European Union (EU) is usually assumed to be intergovernmental. Contributors to this book examine the extent to which a move beyond intergovernmentalism has taken place, how this manifests itself, and what may be the democratic implications. While the EU’s international outlook testifies to a quest for democracy, the institutions and procedures that govern decision-making are found wanting.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of European Public Policy.

This book reorients the study of European foreign and security policy towards the question of democracy. Blending insights from international relations and democratic theory, it aims to enhance our understanding of the issues at stake. The main structures, the institutional setting and the procedures that govern decision-making in this domain are examined. In this way, the book supplements studies with a more traditional focus on the substance of foreign policy. What are the democratic challenges in this distinct field of policy-making?

The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the European Union (EU) is usually assumed to be intergovernmental. Contributors to this book examine the extent to which a move beyond intergovernmentalism has taken place, how this manifests itself, and what may be the democratic implications. While the EU’s international outlook testifies to a quest for democracy, the institutions and procedures that govern decision-making are found wanting.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of European Public Policy.

This text critically examines the belief that the EU not only has an impact on the international system but also a ‘normative’, ‘civilian’ and ‘civilizing’ power. The contributors question whether this assertion fits with the empirical record or is merely based on anecdotal evidence and whether there is a theoretical basis for the expectation of a ‘normative’ or ‘civilizing’ power. Moving the research agenda forward, the book establishes criteria and assessment standards for examining the EU’s international role and its putative normative dimension. Such an endeavour is particularly important against the backdrop of recent developments in European security and defence. The acquisition of military means, or the EU’s ambition to acquire such means, might weaken at least the argument that the EU is a ‘civilian’ power and could provoke a shift towards a policy more akin to traditional ‘great powers.''

This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy.

This text critically examines the belief that the EU not only has an impact on the international system but also a ‘normative’, ‘civilian’ and ‘civilizing’ power. The contributors question whether this assertion fits with the empirical record or is merely based on anecdotal evidence and whether there is a theoretical basis for the expectation of a ‘normative’ or ‘civilizing’ power. Moving the research agenda forward, the book establishes criteria and assessment standards for examining the EU’s international role and its putative normative dimension. Such an endeavour is particularly important against the backdrop of recent developments in European security and defence. The acquisition of military means, or the EU’s ambition to acquire such means, might weaken at least the argument that the EU is a ‘civilian’ power and could provoke a shift towards a policy more akin to traditional ‘great powers.''

This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy.

The book is structured around three parts. Part one provides a concise overview of the latest theories and concepts in this growing field of study and research. Part two assembles and reviews a series of contemporary issue areas including security and defense, economic foreign policy, diplomacy, national cooperation, human rights, and sovereignty. Part three mirrors and builds on Part two by providing an applied case study to each of the preceding topics.

Throughout the book the authors address and incorporate both the national and European Union levels of foreign policy and explore the complex interactions between the two.

The result is a book that will be essential reading for all students and researchers seeking a deeper understanding of European foreign policy today and the wider implications for future foreign policy analysis in politics and international relations.