Conflicting Role Conceptions? The European Union in Global Politics1

Abstract

This article utilizes role theory for analysing the role(s) of the European Union (EU) in global politics. Specifically addressing the interplay of the EU's own role perception and the role expectations held by other actors, the article contributes two case studies of the role(s) of the EU in relation to two important but different actor groupings-Eastern Europe including Russia and the ACP countries in the developing world, respectively. The analysis points to the tensions that exist between selfperceptions and the perceptions of the EU's counterparts in Eastern Europe and the developing world, and how these tensions influences the interaction between the actors.The European Union increasingly aspires to play a leading role in global politics. It engages itself in negotiations, cooperation schemes, and conflict resolution processes with a vast number of actors utilizing an expanding set of tools. Due to its unique nature, the EU is often said to be different great power. The degree to which it succeeds in its great power ambitions is a complex matter, however, related to both the character of the issue-area in focus (for instance in terms of EU competence and resources and the relative strength of other actors) and how it is perceived by others on the international scene.The aim of this article is to investigate the EU's role(s) as an international actor. Utilizing role theory, we analyse both the EU's own role perception and the role expectations held by outsiders. We are interested in three interrelated aspects-the constitutive elements of a common EU role conception, possible role competition, and the degree of coherence between role conceptions and perceived role performance. Special attention is paid to the alleged normative power role of the EU and how, if at all, this role is reflected in outsiders' perceptions. We include case studies of the Union's roles in its relations with two important actor constellations: its eastern neighbors, notably Russia, and its ''partners'' in the developing world, specifically the ACP countries (the African, Caribbean, and Pacific states). We posit that the complex and dynamic interplay between an actor's own role conception, on the one hand, and the structurally guided role expectations of others, on the other hand, constitutes a main advantage of role theory and speaks directly to the issue of integrating foreign policy analysis and international relations theory.

Rethinking Acp‐eu Relations After Cotonou: Tensions, Contradictions, Prospects

“…Two additional studies are worth a mention here. Bengtsson and Elgström (2012) document a sort of schism in how the evolution of the Cotonou Agreement is assessed by the two parties. The EU tends to portray itself as a partner for development and a promoter of norms and values.…”

The EU Foreign Policy Analysis

“…Even though most articles recognized that the war was caused by Russia, or that Moscow was an important threat to Europe's security, they also stressed that the EU had to recognize Moscow's new status and try to enhance its partnership with it accordingly. This policy solution was built on the EU's official approach of forging a strategic partnership with Russia which was based on consensus both among the member states (Sakwa, 2013) and within the EU's institutions (Bengtsson and Elgström, 2012). Such a new relationship was seen as a credible policy solution which had to be based on a common approach that would be accepted by most member states, departing from the tendency of the old member states-such as Germany or France-to deal bilaterally with Moscow.…”

Theorizing the EU's Actorness: Towards an Interactionist Role Theory Framework

“…While role theory is not unknown to the literature of EU studies (Aggestam, 1999(Aggestam, , 2004(Aggestam, , 2006Aggestam and Johansson, 2017;Bengtsson and Elgström, 2012;Elgström and Smith, 2006;Michalski and Pan, 2016), its potential for theorizing the EU's evolution as an international actor remains yet to be fully explored. In particular, role theory's conceptually rich interactionist variant, this article suggests, bears an untapped potential for developing a more systematic understanding of the EU's emerging actorness in international affairs.…”