Two developments in recent recent years have attracted particular attention in international relations: One is the European Union's ever-increasing effort to play a greater foreign policy role. This policy, which is often summarised under the heading of "strategic sovereignty," does not take place in a seamless and linear fashion, but affects different policy areas to varying degrees. While in matters of trade, climate and technology policy the EU already appears as a largely unified actor, foreign and security policy, on the other hand, are still organised intergovernmentally and are correspondingly weak. On the other hand, transatlantic relations as an axis of activity in German and European foreign policy have once again moved to the center of political and political science interest. This was triggered primarily by the European-American conflicts during President Donald Trump's term in office and the increasing "geopoliticisation" of international relations, as a result of which the relationship between the United States and Europe is being recalibrated. This course brings together these two policy areas and analytical perspectives.
By the end of the course, students should
- have acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the global role of the EU in its foreign policy;
- have critically discussed key issues and challenges in EU external relations;
- have understood the historical and institutional foundations of the transatlantic security relationship;
- have learned to assess and classify selected current challenges to transatlantic security relations;
- be able to apply corresponding theoretical key terms and analytical concepts;
- have developed an understanding of the concrete scope and limitations of action in foreign policy decision-making.
This course is for 2nd year MIA, MPP and MDS students only.