IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/poango/v7y2019i3p83-92.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The European Union and the Global Arena: In Search of Post-Brexit Roles

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Smith

    (Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, UK)

Abstract

This article explores the issues faced by the EU in developing its international roles post-Brexit, using a combination of discursive analysis and role theory to investigate the development and performance of roles in a number of linked arenas. Central to this analysis is the assumption that whatever form Brexit takes, the EU and the UK will remain closely entangled, and thus that the post-Brexit role assumed by the UK will shape the evolution of EU external action. But a key task for analysis is to place the impact of Brexit into the array of wider forces affecting EU external action, and this is a key aim of the article. The article begins by exploring the discourses of globalism characteristic of UK and EU foreign policies, as focused by the debates about ‘global Britain’ and EU global strategy since 2015. It then introduces a simple framework for considering the roles conceived and performed by the EU, and their potential impact in the post-Brexit world. The article then considers three areas of EU external action, and the ways in which they might be shaped by a post-Brexit world: trade and development, transatlantic relations and security and defence policy. The conclusion discusses the implications of the cases, especially in relation to the conversion of discursive role constructs into performable roles—a problem central to EU external action—and concludes that whilst the impact of Brexit will be significant, it is likely to be less fundamental than the impact of the challenges faced by the EU in the global arena more broadly.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Smith, 2019. "The European Union and the Global Arena: In Search of Post-Brexit Roles," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 83-92.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v:7:y:2019:i:3:p:83-92
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/2133
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christopher Hill, 1993. "The Capability‐Expectations Gap, or Conceptualizing Europe's International Role," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 305-328, September.
    2. Richard G. Whitman, 2016. "The UK and EU Foreign, Security and Defence Policy after Brexit: Integrated, Associated or Detached?," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 238(1), pages 43-50, November.
    3. Christilla Roederer-Rynning & Alan Matthews, 2019. "What Common Agricultural Policy after Brexit?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 40-50.
    4. Sophia Price, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Development Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 72-82.
    5. Toni Haastrup & Katharine A. M. Wright & Roberta Guerrina, 2019. "Bringing Gender In? EU Foreign and Security Policy after Brexit," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 62-71.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Claire Dupont & Brendan Moore, 2019. "Brexit and the EU in Global Climate Governance," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 51-61.
    2. Toni Haastrup & Katharine A. M. Wright & Roberta Guerrina, 2019. "Bringing Gender In? EU Foreign and Security Policy after Brexit," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 62-71.
    3. Ferdi De Ville & Gabriel Siles-Brügge, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Trade Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 7-18.
    4. Valerie D’Erman, 2021. "Competing Logics of Integration: EU Trade Post-Brexit," International Studies, , vol. 58(2), pages 219-233, April.
    5. Ferdi De Ville & Gabriel Siles-Brügge, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Policies," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 1-6.
    6. Sophia Price, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Development Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 72-82.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ferdi De Ville & Gabriel Siles-Brügge, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Policies," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 1-6.
    2. Paul Copeland, 2019. "Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social Dimension," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 30-39.
    3. Andrew S. Millard & Chae-Deug Yi, 2018. "The European Union’s common foreign and security policy reforms and its implications for Northeast Asia," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 375-394, December.
    4. May-Britt Stumbaum, 2015. "The diffusion of norms in security-related fields: views from China, India and the EU," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 331-347, September.
    5. Anatolie CARBUNE, 2019. "Societal Resilience And The Role Of Eu’S Actorness In The Eastern Neighbourhood," SEA - Practical Application of Science, Romanian Foundation for Business Intelligence, Editorial Department, issue 21, pages 249-254, December.
    6. Meike Froitzheim & Fredrik Söderbaum & Ian Taylor, 2011. "The Limits of the EU as a Peace and Security Actor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," Africa Spectrum, Institute of African Affairs, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 46(3), pages 45-70.
    7. Chris J. Bickerton & Bastien Irondelle & Anand Menon, 2011. "Security Co‐operation beyond the Nation‐State: The EU's Common Security and Defence Policy," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 1-21, January.
    8. Christian B. Jensen & Jonathan Slapin & Thomas König, 2007. "Who Calls for a Common EU Foreign Policy?," European Union Politics, , vol. 8(3), pages 387-410, September.
    9. George ANGLIŢOIU, 2014. "The Eu Intelligence Service Dilemma," Europolity – Continuity and Change in European Governance - New Series, Department of International Relations and European Integration, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, vol. 8(2), pages 179-203.
    10. Anand Menon, 2011. "Power, Institutions and the CSDP: The Promise of Institutionalist Theory," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 83-100, January.
    11. Merran Hulse, 2014. "Actorness beyond the European Union: Comparing the International Trade Actorness of SADC and ECOWAS," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 547-565, May.
    12. Scott Lavery & Davide Schmid, 2021. "European Integration and the New Global Disorder," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(5), pages 1322-1338, September.
    13. Claire Dupont & Brendan Moore, 2019. "Brexit and the EU in Global Climate Governance," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 51-61.
    14. Chiara De Franco & Christoph O. Meyer & Karen E. Smith, 2015. "‘Living by Example?’ The European Union and the Implementation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 994-1009, September.
    15. Ferdi De Ville & Gabriel Siles-Brügge, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Trade Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 7-18.
    16. Adrian Sadłowski, 2020. "The planned reform of the Common Agricultural Policy with particular reference to the direct support system," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 66(8), pages 381-390.
    17. Helena Carrapico & André Barrinha, 2017. "The EU as a Coherent (Cyber)Security Actor?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(6), pages 1254-1272, November.
    18. Mai'a K. Davis Cross & Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski & Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski & Mai'a K. Davis Cross, 2017. "The EU's Power in the Russia–Ukraine Crisis: Enabled or Constrained?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), pages 137-152, January.
    19. Mai'a K. Davis Cross & Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski & Kaija Schilde, 2017. "European Military Capabilities: Enablers and Constraints on EU Power?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), pages 37-53, January.
    20. Erickson, Jennifer L., 2008. "Normative power and EU arms transfer policy: A theoretical critique and empirical test [Normative Macht und die EU-Waffenlieferungspolitik: Eine theoretische Kritik und ein empirischer Test]," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Global Governance SP IV 2008-301, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v:7:y:2019:i:3:p:83-92. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.