The European Union in the World: A Superpower in the Making?

The aim of the course is to analyze the European security environment from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective. As a result, attention will be focused not just on the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), but first and foremost on the security context surrounding the EU. Several questions will be raised, in particular: how to conceptualize security at present? Are the existing theories of International Relations and European Integration helpful in comprehending security challenges? Which threats or risks are credible, and how should they be dealt with? If, as many argue, the EU lives into a Kantian world, the same definitions of security and security challenges must be questioned. Obviously, special attention will be devoted to the peculiar nature of the European Union, and its efforts to develop a defense capability of its own. Also, particular attention will be devoted to the implications of an Europe more assertive on its external relations. Is Europe doomed to dissipate its civilian power? Can a strong defense policy be a substitute for a weak foreign policy? Should Europe address the current unbalance vis-à-vis the United States? In raising these questions, the European Union will be the privileged empirical reference. Yet, when necessary to understand the problem of cooperation in shaping a common foreign policy, the national perspective will be also taken into consideration. Finally, each class has a two-fold purpose: to present the current literature on the topic of the day, and discuss the policy implications of the issue.