Pragmatist Power Europe: Resilience and evolution in planetary organic crisis

Abstract

In this article, we join others in revisiting the concept of Normative Power Europe (NPE) through the lenses of pragmatist theory to engage with the emergent challenges of the planetary organic crisis. We argue that NPE rests on the binary distinction between moral and instrumental action and this, we argue, limits our ability to conceptualise resilience as evolutionary and to develop responses to the current crisis. Drawing on pragmatist philosophy, we argue that the project of conceptualising and pursuing planetary politics must start in the ongoing activities of actors, as an intervention into a stream of action with momentum and inertia. Our empirical analysis shows that although the European Union’s (EU) resilience turn shares some key normative commitments with a pragmatist approach, so far its resilience policies have been pragmatic rather than pragmatist. However, a closer look at the EU’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine reveals that the EU can cultivate resilience by transforming itself. We conclude by highlighting some ways a pragmatist view on normative power and resilience-through-evolution can guide reflection and action on the threats the planetary organic crisis poses to our continued survival.