New York University
Faculty of Arts and Science
Center for European and Mediterranean Studies
Christine Landfried
Max Weber Chair in German and European Studies
Spring Term 2015, Thursday 10:00 – 12:00 pm
„The European Union in International Politics”
(Working Syllabus)
Since the Treaty of Lisbon the European Union has a High Representative for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy. Yet this institutional innovation cannot hide the fact that the European
Union has difficulties to find its role in international politics. Moreover, while in national
political systems the executive is very powerful in foreign policy this is even more so when it
comes to the supranational level of the European Union. We will first discuss theories of
international politics. Second, we will analyze the history of the European Union’s foreign
and security policies. Third, we will ask how the institutional framework, the policy
instruments and the power structure do matter for the impact of the European Union on the
international system. And fourth, case-studies will give insights into the European Union’s
actions in international politics. These case-studies will include examples from foreign and
security policy, human rights, development policy, enlargement policy, and trade policy. It is
the aim of the course to get precise information about the normative legitimacy and political
efficacy of the European Union’s decision-making process in international politics. On the
basis of this information we will discuss proposals for a more legitimate and effective role of
the European Union in international politics.
Requirements and grading: The seminar is offered for 4 units of credit. Grades will be based
upon class participation, two short papers (5-6 pages) presenting texts assigned in the readings
and a final research paper (15-20 pages).
Due dates: First paper:
March 5, 2015 (all readings up to week 6)
Second paper:
April 9, 2015 (all readings up to week 9)
Research paper: May 9, 2015
1. January 29: Introduction
Introduction to the topic, the concept and the aim of the seminar. Students will be
informed about which readings are essential in preparation for each session and which
texts are suggested as additional readings.
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2. February 5: Theories of International Politics
Katzenstein, Peter, J., A World of Regions: Europe and Asia in the American
Imperium, Cornell: Cornell University Press 2005.
Keohane, Robert O., and Joseph S. Nye, Power and Interdependence, London:
Longman, 4th ed. 2011.
Peters, Anne, Dual Democracy. In: Jan Klabbers, Anne Peters, and Geir Ulfstein (eds.),
The Constitutionalization of International Law, Oxford, New York: Oxford
University Press 2009, 263-341.
Ruggie, John Gerard, Constructing the World Polity: Essays on International
Institutionalization, London: Routledge 1998.
3. February 12: The Development of European Foreign and Security Policy
Giegerich, Bastian and William Wallace, Foreign and Security Policy: Civilian Power
Europe and American Leadership. In: Helen Wallace, Mark A. Pollack, and
Alasdair R. Young (eds.), Policy-Making in the European Union, Oxford, New
York: Oxford University Press, 6th ed. 2010, 431-455.
Smith, Karen E., European Union Foreign Policy in a Changing World, Cambridge:
Polity Press, 3rd ed. 2014, 25-53.
4. February 19: The Institutional Framework and the Policy Instruments
Hix, Simon and Bjorn Hoyland, The Political System of the European Union, London,
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 3rd ed. 2011, 302-330.
Smith, Karen E., European Union Foreign Policy in a Changing World, op. cit. at 5474.
5. February 26: The Role of the European Union in International Relations
Hill, Christopher and Michael Smith, Acting for Europe: Reassessing the European
Union’s Place in International Relations. In: id. (eds.), International Relations and
the European Union, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2nd ed. 2011,
458-480.
6. March 5: The Role of the European Union in the Iraq War
Dinan, Desmond, Ever Closer Union. An Introduction to European Integration,
London, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 4th ed. 2010, 545-566.
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7. March 12: The Role of the European Union in the Ukraine Conflict
Smith, Nicholas R., The EU’s Difficulty in Translating Interests into Effective
Foreign Policy Action: A Look at the Ukraine Crisis. In: Baltic Journal of
European Studies 4 (2014), 54-68.
8. March 26: The European Union and International Human Rights
Goodale, Mark and Sally Engle Merry, The Practice of Human Rights. Tracking Law
Between the Global and the Local, Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University
Press 2007, 1-38.
Smith, Karen E., European Union Foreign Policy in a Changing World, op. cit.
at 95-120.
Landfried, Christine, The Potential of Difference for the Shaping of Transnational
Norms, forthcoming 2015.
9. April 2: Enlargement Policy
Herzog, Alexander and Joshua A.Tucker, The Dynamics of Support: The WinnersLosers Gap in Attitudes toward EU Membership in Post-Communist Countries. In:
European Political Science Review 2009, 235-267.
Sedelmeier, Ulrich, Enlargement: From Rules for Accession to a Policy Towards
Europe. In: Helen Wallace, Mark A. Pollack, and Alasdair R. Young (eds.), PolicyMaking in the European Union, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 6th
ed. 2010, 401-429.
10. April 9: Development Policy
Carbone, Maurizio, The EU and the Developing World: Partnership, Poverty, and
Politicization. In: Christopher Hill and Michael Smith (eds.), International
Relations and the European Union, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press,
2nd ed. 2011, 324-348.
11. April 16: Trade Policy – The Case of TTIP
Council of the European Union, Document no. 11103/13, DCL 1, October 9, 2014.
Hamilton, Daniel, The Transatlantic Pivot. In: Christiane Lemke (ed.), Germany in
Europe: Powerhouse at the Crossroads, Working Papers, Center for European and
Mediterranean Studies, New York University, 2013, 6-14.
Meunier, Sophie and Kalypso Nicolaïdis, The European Union as a Trade Power. In:
Christopher Hill and Michael Smith (eds.), International Relations and the
European Union, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2nd ed. 2011,
275-298.
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12. April 23: The Role of the European Parliament in Foreign Relations
Raube, Kolja, Towards a Reflexive External Governance of the European Union. In:
id., Annika Sattler (eds.), Difference and Democracy. Exploring Potentials in
Europe and Beyond, Frankfurt, New York: Campus 2011, 101-126.
13. April 30: The Democratic Legitimacy of European Foreign Policy
Lord, Christopher, Legitimate and Democratic? The EU’s International Role. In:
Christopher Hill and Michael Smith (eds.), International Relations and the European
Union, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2nd ed. 2011, 128-148.
14. May 7: Proposals for a more Democratic and Effective European Foreign Policy
Føllesdal, Andreas, When Common Interests are not Common: Why the Global Basic
Structure should be Democratic. In: Indiana Journal of Global Governance, 16(2)
2009, 585-604.
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