Date of Award

6-2008

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Political Science

Language

English

Keywords

eu, power, european, foreign, policy

Abstract

This thesis explores the history of the transatlantic alliance since World War II in conjunction with the unification and development of the European Union, particularly examining the stability of the alliance, as the EU has become a major global actor economically and politically. The foreign policies of EU/US international interventions are examined in a pre and post- September 11th context, focusing on the Balkan crisis and the Bush administration’s Global War on Terrorism. The European Union, often referred to as “an economic giant but political dwarf,” declared its intention to develop a common European foreign policy (CFSP) in 1992. Focused on ‘soft power’ and multilateralism, the EU lead the negotiations as conflict first broke out in the former Yugoslavia. However, an EU position was not solidified by this point and their lack of military clout to back up negotiations failed to ease the conflict. The US militarily intervened and was successful in negotiating the Dayton Peace Accords. The post- September 11th case study suggests that foreign policy in a globalizing world should be more focused on the promotion of ‘soft power’ and the use of multilateralism. The US focus on ‘hard power,’ based on Cold War tactics, is out of date and has only proven to be detrimental to our objectives and post- 9/11 world image. It is therefore suggested that to be more internationally effective and to improve relations with the EU, the new US presidential administration should abstain from the Bush administration’s hegemonic policy and instead promote more ‘soft power’ tactics and multilateral cooperation.

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In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.