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The European Union as a Small Power

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  • ASLE TOJE

Abstract

With the creation of a common foreign and security policy (CFSP), the EU has entered the realm of power politics. Although the ambition to become a great power has been frequently reiterated, the EU has often failed to deliver stated policy objectives. This article has two broad goals. One is to outline the strategic behavioural patterns of small powers. The lack of scholarly attention to these states – the largest group in the international system – is a major omission from the International Relations canon. The other is to see how EU patterns of behaviour, exemplified in attempts to build up capacities for military intervention, overlap with those of a small power. The article argues that the concept of a small power best captures the reality of the EU as a strategic actor. Consequently, the EU is more comparable to other small powers such as Sweden or Argentina rather than to great powers such as China or Russia.

Suggested Citation

  • Asle Toje, 2011. "The European Union as a Small Power," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 43-60, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:49:y:2011:i:1:p:43-60
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2010.02128.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Keohane, Robert O., 1969. "Lilliputians' Dilemmas: Small States in Internatinal Politics," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(2), pages 291-310, April.
    2. Guzzini, Stefano, 1993. "Structural power: the limits of neorealist power analysis," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(3), pages 443-478, July.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Patricia Garcia-Duran & L. Johan Eliasson & Oriol Costa, 2023. "Commerce and Security Meet in the European Union’s Trade Defence Instruments," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 11(4), pages 165-176.
    4. Smith Nicholas Ross, 2014. "The EU’s Difficulty in Translating Interests into Effective Foreign Policy Action: A Look at the Ukraine Crisis," TalTech Journal of European Studies, Sciendo, vol. 4(1), pages 1-15, June.

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