The unexpected embrace of Europa : Conflict resolution and the unintended consequences of the European neighbourhood policy

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2011-09
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en
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Abstract
The history of the European Union is a story of rebordering. This is no accident. Geopolitical assimilation is hardwired to the very essence of the EU project—which is a refined model of international organisation that emerged after previous historical experiments ended with ever more catastrophic consequences. The Union’s model relies on a process of imperial governance that seeks compliance in exchange for incentives. It starts with economic interdependence, goes through gradual identification and institutional rapprochement and ends with a geographical embrace. The novelty of this conflict resolution model is that, unlike traditional ones, it is not primarily based on coercion or threats but on an assertive selfrighteousness buttressed by a powerful economic leverage. This approach allows the EU to overcome traditional obstacles for international governance— particularly national opposition—which have made previous models of international organisation unstable. Contrary to the mainstream belief—both in politics and scholarship—in this thesis I argue that the ENP is nothing but enlargement in disguise and that, if certain conditions remain, it will lead to the eventual absorption of the EU’s periphery, which could include Turkey, Morocco and Russia. I advance the idea that the EU has an inertia of its own which is likely to progress unless a relapse into xenophobia and nationalism takes place
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen