"Dealing with the U.S. hegemony: Soft and hard power in the external relations of the European Union"

Dominguez-Rivera, Roberto. (2003) "Dealing with the U.S. hegemony: Soft and hard power in the external relations of the European Union". In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2003 (8th), March 27-29, 2003, pages 18, Nashville, TN.

Abstract

[T]he hypothesis of this paper is: The more the EU is able to encapsulate the interests of the fifteen member states in a common front, the greater are the opportunities for more beneficial agreements with the United States, and to constrain or replace the actions or inactions of the U.S. hegemony. In order to support this proposition, the first part of this paper focuses on the current theoretical debate on the transatlantic relationship. Secondly, the paper analyzes the nature of the EU foreign policy, emphasizing the problems associated with the intergovernmental and supranational model to design its external relations. The third section describes the relative balance between the U.S. and the EU on economic terms, and considers the benefits of having international institutions to regulate trade practices. Finally, the imbalance in security affairs is depicted, highlighting the new institutional developments in Europe to participate in regional crises with or without (but not against) the United States.