Soft power Europe: the lesser contradiction in terms and practices
Kuupäev
2016-05-13
Autorid
Ajakirja pealkiri
Ajakirja ISSN
Köite pealkiri
Kirjastaja
Abstrakt
Käesolev väitekiri arutleb Euroopa Liidu pehme jõu avalduste üle teoorias ja praktikas. Autor distantseerub teadlikult dominantsetest paradigmadest EL-i välispoliitika uurimisel. Nii „tsiviiljõu Euroopa“ kui „normatiivse jõu Euroopa“ seletuslikud mudelid olid enamjaolt elujõulistena kasutusel 1970. aastate algusest kuni 2000. aastate esimese pooleni. Need mõlemad käsitlused sündisid tagasivaatelisena Euroopa integratsioonile ja on seetõttu läbi aegade olnud teaduslikus mõttes inspiratsiooniallikaks paljudele. Samas ei saa mööda minna kitsaskohtadest ja kriitikast eeltoodud käsitluste aadressil. Nimelt, mitte kummagil neist pole ette näidata tõsist teoreetilist ja empiirilist alusmaterjali. Samuti ei ole need käsitlused jõudnud juurduda väljapoole Euroopa integratsioonialaseid uuringuid. Seevastu on pehme jõu käsitlus jäänud teenimatult varju selles uurimisvaldkonnas.
Selle väitekirja keskse teesi kohaselt muutuvad EL-i välispoliitika üksikasjad märksa arusaadavamaks siis, kui loobutakse varasematest eksklussiivsetest, ainult EL-i integratsiooni puudutavatest seletusviisidest laiemalt tunnustust leidnud rahvusvaheliste suhete alaste teoreetiliste käsitluste kasuks. Sellisest vaatenurgast lähtuvalt on EL-l olemas pehme jõu omadused ja võimekus neid omadusi praktikas realiseerida. Pehme jõu omadused avalduvad toimija kultuuris, väärtushinnangutes ja poliitikates. Et neid mittematerjaalseid omadusi ”võimendada” ja praktikas maksma panna, peavad need muutuma atraktiivseteks neile, kellele soovitakse mõju avaldada. Iga toimija rahvusvahelisel areenil omab erinevas koguses ja kombinatsioonis teiste mõjutamiseks vajalikke mõjuvahendeid. Nii saab EL-i välispoliitilist võimekust käsitleda läbi materjaalsete (loe: sõjaliste) ja mittematerjaalsete (loe: kultuur ja väärtushinnangud) mõjuvahendite avaldumiste ja atraktiivsuse prisma. Autor kaitseb seisukohta, et pehme jõu käsitlus sobib paremini EL-i välispoliitika mõtestamiseks võrreldes konkureerivate alternatiividega, milleks on „tsiviiljõu Euroopa” ja „normatiivse jõu Euroopa“ käsitlused, sest erinevalt ideaalist (milline peaks olema EL toimijana rahvusvahelistes suhetes) on põhjust vaadata tegelikkusele otsa (mis laadi jõuga on EL-i puhul tegemist ja mis on EL-i võimekus ennast rahvusvahelistes suhetes teostada).
Väitekiri tugineb neljale eelretsenseeritud artiklile, mis avaldatud ajavahemikul 2009-2016 rahvusvahelise levikuga teadusajakirjades. Sissejuhatav peatükk tutvustab teoreetilisi ja metodoloogilisi aspekte EL-i olemuse mõistmisel rahvusvaheliste suhete toimijana. Väitekirja koondatud artiklitest esimene arutleb EL-i pehme jõu olemuse seostest võimekuse-ootuste lõhega. Teises artiklis uuritakse EL-i Idapartnerluse programmi eduväljavaateid pehme jõu funktsioneerimisel. Kolmandas artiklis analüüsitakse valitsusväliste organisatsioonide agentsust EL-i välispoliitika toimijatena. Neljas artikkel vastandab Venemaa pehme jõu avaldumised EL-i omale ja demonstreerib selle vähest atraktiivsust Eestis.
Väitekiri on sätestatud, miks pehme jõu mõiste pakub paljulubava võimalusi edasisteks uuringuteks kui väsinud mõisted tsiviil- ja normatiivse võimu. See mahutab suurema selgitava potentsiaali, ja see peaks ka suurem kasutamine uuring ELi välispoliitika.
This dissertation discusses the soft power of the European Union. In doing so it distances itself from the dominant paradigms within the study of EU foreign policy - Civilian Power Europe since Normative Power Europe – which have between them dominated the field since the 1970’s and early 2000s respectively. Both of these concepts were created specifically with the EU in mind, and both have inspired copious amounts of literature. They have, however, both also been heavily criticised for their severe theoretical and empirical shortcomings, and neither has found widespread usage outside EU studies. By contrast the soft power concept has been relatively under-utilised in this field. The central argument of this dissertation is that the study of EU foreign policy would benefit greatly by abandoning exclusive niches and engage with wider IR scholarship by bringing traditional and more widely used IR concepts like hard and soft power to the fore. Soft power, which is the main topic of the dissertation, captures the intangible aspects of EU power. It has been defined as “the ability to get others to want the same that you want”, and rests on the attractiveness of an actor’s culture, values and policies. It envisages an interplay between different kinds of power resources, but assumes no ideal types of actorness. It therefore provides a more theoretically and empirically sound conceptual lens for analysing what kinds of intangible power of attraction the EU actually possesses, and for understanding what is holding it back. Moreover, the concept is eminently suited for studying the EU’s foreign policies, as the EU itself frequently expresses a preference for a less overtly confrontational style of politics. Ultimately, the argument of this dissertation is that instead of continuing to engage in the futile debates over ideal types of actorness, the academic community should instead return to examining what kind of power the EU actually has, and with what effectiveness it is making use of it. The dissertation is based on four peer-reviewed articles, published between 2009 and 2016, which between them cover several aspects of EU soft power. The opening chapter presents the broad concepts and their applicability to the EU’s foreign policy. The first article discusses the relationship between EU soft power and the capability-expectations gap, which the EU is often considered as labouring under. The second article examines the Eastern Partnership from 2008, and the level of success with which it functioned as a channel for EU soft power. The third article argues that civil society organisations can be agents for the EU’s foreign policy agenda, using Estonian organisations as a case study. The fourth article discusses Russian soft power in Estonia, using this as a counterpoint to the EU’s soft power in the same region. The dissertation sets out why the soft power concept offers more promising avenues for further research than the tired concepts of civilian and normative power. It holds greater explanatory potential, and it should gain greater usage in the study of EU foreign policy.
This dissertation discusses the soft power of the European Union. In doing so it distances itself from the dominant paradigms within the study of EU foreign policy - Civilian Power Europe since Normative Power Europe – which have between them dominated the field since the 1970’s and early 2000s respectively. Both of these concepts were created specifically with the EU in mind, and both have inspired copious amounts of literature. They have, however, both also been heavily criticised for their severe theoretical and empirical shortcomings, and neither has found widespread usage outside EU studies. By contrast the soft power concept has been relatively under-utilised in this field. The central argument of this dissertation is that the study of EU foreign policy would benefit greatly by abandoning exclusive niches and engage with wider IR scholarship by bringing traditional and more widely used IR concepts like hard and soft power to the fore. Soft power, which is the main topic of the dissertation, captures the intangible aspects of EU power. It has been defined as “the ability to get others to want the same that you want”, and rests on the attractiveness of an actor’s culture, values and policies. It envisages an interplay between different kinds of power resources, but assumes no ideal types of actorness. It therefore provides a more theoretically and empirically sound conceptual lens for analysing what kinds of intangible power of attraction the EU actually possesses, and for understanding what is holding it back. Moreover, the concept is eminently suited for studying the EU’s foreign policies, as the EU itself frequently expresses a preference for a less overtly confrontational style of politics. Ultimately, the argument of this dissertation is that instead of continuing to engage in the futile debates over ideal types of actorness, the academic community should instead return to examining what kind of power the EU actually has, and with what effectiveness it is making use of it. The dissertation is based on four peer-reviewed articles, published between 2009 and 2016, which between them cover several aspects of EU soft power. The opening chapter presents the broad concepts and their applicability to the EU’s foreign policy. The first article discusses the relationship between EU soft power and the capability-expectations gap, which the EU is often considered as labouring under. The second article examines the Eastern Partnership from 2008, and the level of success with which it functioned as a channel for EU soft power. The third article argues that civil society organisations can be agents for the EU’s foreign policy agenda, using Estonian organisations as a case study. The fourth article discusses Russian soft power in Estonia, using this as a counterpoint to the EU’s soft power in the same region. The dissertation sets out why the soft power concept offers more promising avenues for further research than the tired concepts of civilian and normative power. It holds greater explanatory potential, and it should gain greater usage in the study of EU foreign policy.
Kirjeldus
Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.
Märksõnad
välispoliitika, pehme jõud, Euroopa, foreign policy, soft power, Europe