"Rethinking the West: Convergence and divergence between EU and U.S. foreign policy in the South Caucasus"

Helly, Damien. (2003) "Rethinking the West: Convergence and divergence between EU and U.S. foreign policy in the South Caucasus". In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2003 (8th), March 27-29, 2003, pages 10, Nashville, TN.

Abstract

The main questions this paper seeks to answer are: If there is convergence, is a common influence exercised? My argument here is that there is indeed convergence between US and EU foreign policies inside a so-called “Western Engagement," but this engagement is limited by external factors such as Russia and local Caucasian politics. If there is divergence, who, between the U.S. and the EU, dominates then in the region? This paper argues that a division of tasks has been at work during the nineties, resulting in the U.S. domination upon the EU. However, U.S. legitimacy (often perceived by the Caucasian elite as a new imperialism) is questionable in a region located in the Russian sphere of influence.