Marco Siddi - Böcker

This book examines the relationship between national identity construction and current foreign policy discourses on Russia in selected European Union member states in 2014–2018.It shows that divergent national discourses on Russia derive from the different ways in which the country was constructed in national identity. The book develops an interpretive theoretical framework and argues that policy makers’ agency can profoundly influence the contestation between different identity narratives. It includes case studies in policy areas that are of primary importance for EU–Russia relations, such as energy security (the Nord Stream 2 controversy), the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s military intervention in Syria. Focusing on EU member states that have traditionally taken different stances vis-à-vis Russia (Germany, Poland and Finland), it shows that at the peak of the Ukraine crisis national discourses converged towards a pragmatic, but critical narrative. As the Ukraine crisis subsided and new events took centre stage in foreign policy discussions (i.e. the Syrian civil war, international terrorism), long-standing and identity-based divergences partly re-emerged in the discourses of policy makers. This became particularly evident during the Nord Stream 2 controversy. Deep-rooted and different perceptions of the Russian Other in EU member states are still influential and lead to divergent national agendas for foreign policy towards Russia.This book will be of interest to students and scholars working in European and EU politics, Russian and Soviet politics, and International Relations.

In this timely book, Marco Siddi expertly navigates topics of European energy politics, drawing on pressing issues from times of unprecedented crisis. From the war in Ukraine to worsening climate change, he illustrates the intense pressure the EU is under to accelerate its green transition, and explores the potential obstacles that may arise on the road to energy security.Siddi provides a wealth of critical analysis on the rise and decline of EU-Russia energy relations; the nature of the EU’s actorness in both domestic and external energy policy; and the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition for the European continent. The geopolitical consequences of the energy transition are adeptly examined, and the book highlights the critical need for the EU to adopt well-calibrated policies and develop multidimensional international partnerships to obtain access to key supply chains and promote a just global energy transition.With a comprehensive and thorough analysis of contemporary EU energy policy, this book will prove essential to academics and students interested in international relations, energy policy, regulation and governance, European politics and public policy. It will also be a vital resource to practitioners and diplomats working on energy and climate issues in national ministries, European union institutions, and diverse international organisations.

This book examines the relationship between national identity construction and current foreign policy discourses on Russia in selected European Union member states in 2014–2018.It shows that divergent national discourses on Russia derive from the different ways in which the country was constructed in national identity. The book develops an interpretive theoretical framework and argues that policy makers’ agency can profoundly influence the contestation between different identity narratives. It includes case studies in policy areas that are of primary importance for EU–Russia relations, such as energy security (the Nord Stream 2 controversy), the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s military intervention in Syria. Focusing on EU member states that have traditionally taken different stances vis-à-vis Russia (Germany, Poland and Finland), it shows that at the peak of the Ukraine crisis national discourses converged towards a pragmatic, but critical narrative. As the Ukraine crisis subsided and new events took centre stage in foreign policy discussions (i.e. the Syrian civil war, international terrorism), long-standing and identity-based divergences partly re-emerged in the discourses of policy makers. This became particularly evident during the Nord Stream 2 controversy. Deep-rooted and different perceptions of the Russian Other in EU member states are still influential and lead to divergent national agendas for foreign policy towards Russia.This book will be of interest to students and scholars working in European and EU politics, Russian and Soviet politics, and International Relations.

This book explores the uses of the past in foreign policy-making. It outlines why and how political leaders refer to historical events in contemporary foreign policy discourses; the goals they hope to achieve; and the sometimes unintended foreign policy consequences of their (ab)use of historical memory. Furthermore, it looks at how political leaders shape domestic collective memories in pursuit of their international agendas, and highlight historical events leaders forget, reinterpret or obscure through selective narratives.The chapters explore a variety of theoretical concepts that shed light on how memory and foreign policy are linked in a complex and reciprocal way. The following mechanisms are discussed: the application of historical analogies; the construction of historical narratives; the creation of memory sites; the marginalisation and forgetting of the past; and the securitisation of historical memory. Through the use of a number of methodological approaches (such asdiscourse analysis, narrative analysis and content analysis of securitising moves) and a broad range of qualitative and quantitative data (newspaper articles, policy documents, commemorative speeches, interviews with policymakers and the observation of memory sites), the contributions highlight the interdependence of the international, national, regional and local dimensions of memory practices and history writing. Although they mostly focus on national case studies of foreign policy-making, they also reveal how representations of historical events evolve through interaction between political actors at the international level of analysis.The collection originated in the section entitled ‘Exploring the Link between Historical Memory and Foreign Policy’ at the annual Pan-European Conference of the European International Studies Association (EISA) 2018 held in Prague, the Czech Republic.