The EEAS navigating foreign policy paradigms

Abstract

ABSTRACT Addressing the issue of EU foreign policy, this article analyses one of the European institutions, the EEAS, and examines how the EEAS navigates in a European landscape characterised by a handful of main foreign policy paradigms. In particular, we ask how the EEAS has adjusted its foreign policies in the light of competing paradigms. In the first section, we explicate the key concepts including policy paradigms, worldviews and public philosophy. Having thus provided the conceptual settings, the third section examines the main foreign policy paradigms that the EEAS will need to prudently navigate. We focus on four dimensions: world order and multilateralism, security, neighbours and climate change. The dimensions are chosen simply because they are at the top of the contemporary European policy agenda. While analysing paradigm shifts, we discuss how the topic of the article relates to the model of four Europes. Finally, we briefly conclude and outline wider perspectives.