The Eu in a Changing World Order: In Defence of Normative Power 2.0

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of the European Union (EU) as a normative power in a pluralising international society after the demise of the "liberal moment" in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War. It suggests that the traditional understanding of normative power (NPE 1.0) was normatively problematic as it was infused with othering practices and led to the neglect of the EU's own shortcomings. Thus, the demise of NPE 1.0 may be seen as an opportunity to re-articulate normative power rather than abandon it. The paper attempts such a re-articulation building on elements in the EU's own official narrative, including Commission President von der Leyen's "geopolitical Commission" and the concept of "principled pragmatism" in the EU Global Strategy. It is premised on the assumption that although the von der Leyen Commission seems to have taken a realist turn, such a turn continues to be contested and open to alternatives.