As Member States encounter increasingly complex security threats, momentum to push for EU initiat... more As Member States encounter increasingly complex security threats, momentum to push for EU initiatives to deliver on the Union's level of ambition in defence has emerged. A process aimed at bringing clarity, guidance and incentives to completing the common security and defence policy, the Strategic Compass is a first for the European Union. Announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2021 State of the European Union speech, a European Defence Summit is expected to take place in February 2022. It is envisaged that, following its much-anticipated presentation, EU leaders will endorse the Compass in March 2022. European Council President Charles Michel branded 2022 'the year of European defence'.
Security and defence policy in the European Union is predominantly a competence of the Member Sta... more Security and defence policy in the European Union is predominantly a competence of the Member States. At the same time, a common security and defence policy, which could progressively lead to a European defence union, is enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty. Since 2016, there has been significant progress in that direction, with several initiatives in the area of security and defence having been proposed and initiated under the 2014-2019 mandate of the Commission and the European Parliament.
This article discusses the role of think tanks in the production of ideas guiding recent change i... more This article discusses the role of think tanks in the production of ideas guiding recent change in Brazil’s economic policy. It claims that think tanks are significant policy-making agents preparing the society for change – via their communicative discourse – but also attempting to influence the interaction between political elites – via their coordinative discourse. The polarization of think tanks’ communicative discourse in regard to austerity during two critical junctures for Brazil is analysed. Discursive institutionalism is applied in order to interpret data from four Brazilian think tanks: the Institute of Applied Economic Research, the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies, the Fernand Braudel Institute and the Brazilian Institute of Economy. These think tanks have very different organizational and ideological characteristics but a polarization of the discussion around austerity can be observed in the discourse of all four of them. The scale ranges fr...
This article aims to understand the basic characteristics of regionalism in Brazilian foreign pol... more This article aims to understand the basic characteristics of regionalism in Brazilian foreign policy. For this purpose, it goes over the recent history of Brazilian involvement in regional trade and security arrangements in South America. It also examines the manner in which economic uncertainties, brought about by the 2008–2009 global financial crisis, affected Brazilian foreign policy towards its region. Based on this historical analysis, it defines five key aspects that characterise Brazilian behaviour in the region, namely: post-democratisation regionalism; presidential regionalism; reactive regionalism; concentric/multilevel regionalism; and instrumental regionalism.
This paper analyses the results of the 2011 EU-Brazil Summit within the context of the Eurozone c... more This paper analyses the results of the 2011 EU-Brazil Summit within the context of the Eurozone crisis, the developments in the Middle East and the emergence of Brazil as a major player on the world stage. It does so through a discourse analysis of the Summit's conclusion on issues of global, regional and bilateral relevance. The paper argues that developments within the framework of the Strategic Partnership have left a lot to be desired on a practical level, and argues that the reasons for its original inception were mostly related to political objectives rather than strong functional considerations. The paper is divided into three parts. The first reviews the history of the Strategic Partnership; the second seeks to explain the concept and incentives for the 2007 agreement; finally, the third part sheds light on the events surrounding the 2011 Summit and draws conclusions regarding its outcome.
This paper examines the role of the media in transforming discourses of „otherness‟ and as a cons... more This paper examines the role of the media in transforming discourses of „otherness‟ and as a consequence, influencing foreign policy decisions vis-à-vis states perceived as „Others‟. The argument is that as an agent with the power to construct discourses of identity, the media hold the potential to re-construct perceptions of the„Other‟, thus intensifying or transforming discourses of conflict. Adding to that the function of the press as a guide for the formulation of public opinion and, in turn, policy-makers‟ decisions, through processes such as priming, agenda-setting and indexing (eg.McCombs&Shaw;Entmann), it is proposed that the study of the „Other‟ in the media is crucial in understanding developments in bilateral relations and foreign policy decisions in cases of conflict transformation (Diez 2002).The paper focuses on the case of the Greek press and its role in Greek-Turkish relations, a role described as that of formulating perceptions of 'otherness' (Hatzidimos, 19...
Policy implications aside, assessing the EU’s involvement in the Mediterranean region necessitate... more Policy implications aside, assessing the EU’s involvement in the Mediterranean region necessitates a reconsideration of the impact and limits of the so-called ‘normative power’ upon which its approach has been based, implicitly or explicitly. This paper does so by examining the EU’s engagement with Egypt and the Israel-Palestine conflict; it sets out to challenge the notion that EU-style normative power alone is well-suited to promote democracy and regional cooperation, particularly in regions with diverging dynamics where the promotion of EU-associated norms may stumble upon European trade- and diplomacy-related interests. In this sense, it aims to enrich and inform the debates on ‘normative power Europe’ and Euro-Mediterranean relations.
This chapter outlines the main changes in the European Parliament’s (EP’s) role in the area of se... more This chapter outlines the main changes in the European Parliament’s (EP’s) role in the area of security and defence introduced by the Lisbon Treaty. It then assesses how the EP has since used its general powers (elective, budgetary and legislative) in order to increase its role in the policy-making process in this area. It focuses particularly on developments related and subsequent to the conception and release of the European Union’s (EU’s) Global Strategy (2015–2017), coinciding with a significant turn in the development of the EU’s security and defence policy and a renewed emphasis on the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty’s provisions on the Common Security and Defence Policy as a reaction to new geopolitical realities in the EU’s security environment.
Multilateralism is a concept which has been given increasing attention, particularly by western d... more Multilateralism is a concept which has been given increasing attention, particularly by western democracies, since the end of the Cold War, even if its practice dates back at least to 1815. The issue of whether it has now become a ‘doctrine’, that is a coherent guide to policy practice, is more arguable. If it has, then the European Union is the leader in conceptualising and articulating such a doctrine. Indeed, it comes closer than any other single concept to expressing what the EU stands for in world politics. The idea of multilateralism is used often to legitimise EU actions, although it has been qualified after 9.11. by the term ‘effective’, thus hinting at the European wish to avoid mere idealism, and willingness to make hard choices. This dilemma is matched by that between regional and universal multilateralism, which faces all actors in international politics. The EU experiences it keenly in the areas of both security and trade. A further sharp difficulty is over multilateral...
Think Tanks, Foreign Policy and the Emerging Powers
The contemporary world is constantly facing new challenges as new political, economic, and social... more The contemporary world is constantly facing new challenges as new political, economic, and social challenges arise. With the advent of numerous international organizations, emerging states, and new security threats, think tanks now have a bigger role than ever before. In addition to the proliferation of abundant autonomous think tank organizations, there are three other main categories: government affiliated, university affiliated, and electoral party affiliated. This book provides case studies of think tanks around the world, explains the work they do, and displays their influence in policy-making.
As Member States encounter increasingly complex security threats, momentum to push for EU initiat... more As Member States encounter increasingly complex security threats, momentum to push for EU initiatives to deliver on the Union's level of ambition in defence has emerged. A process aimed at bringing clarity, guidance and incentives to completing the common security and defence policy, the Strategic Compass is a first for the European Union. Announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2021 State of the European Union speech, a European Defence Summit is expected to take place in February 2022. It is envisaged that, following its much-anticipated presentation, EU leaders will endorse the Compass in March 2022. European Council President Charles Michel branded 2022 'the year of European defence'.
Security and defence policy in the European Union is predominantly a competence of the Member Sta... more Security and defence policy in the European Union is predominantly a competence of the Member States. At the same time, a common security and defence policy, which could progressively lead to a European defence union, is enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty. Since 2016, there has been significant progress in that direction, with several initiatives in the area of security and defence having been proposed and initiated under the 2014-2019 mandate of the Commission and the European Parliament.
This article discusses the role of think tanks in the production of ideas guiding recent change i... more This article discusses the role of think tanks in the production of ideas guiding recent change in Brazil’s economic policy. It claims that think tanks are significant policy-making agents preparing the society for change – via their communicative discourse – but also attempting to influence the interaction between political elites – via their coordinative discourse. The polarization of think tanks’ communicative discourse in regard to austerity during two critical junctures for Brazil is analysed. Discursive institutionalism is applied in order to interpret data from four Brazilian think tanks: the Institute of Applied Economic Research, the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies, the Fernand Braudel Institute and the Brazilian Institute of Economy. These think tanks have very different organizational and ideological characteristics but a polarization of the discussion around austerity can be observed in the discourse of all four of them. The scale ranges fr...
This article aims to understand the basic characteristics of regionalism in Brazilian foreign pol... more This article aims to understand the basic characteristics of regionalism in Brazilian foreign policy. For this purpose, it goes over the recent history of Brazilian involvement in regional trade and security arrangements in South America. It also examines the manner in which economic uncertainties, brought about by the 2008–2009 global financial crisis, affected Brazilian foreign policy towards its region. Based on this historical analysis, it defines five key aspects that characterise Brazilian behaviour in the region, namely: post-democratisation regionalism; presidential regionalism; reactive regionalism; concentric/multilevel regionalism; and instrumental regionalism.
This paper analyses the results of the 2011 EU-Brazil Summit within the context of the Eurozone c... more This paper analyses the results of the 2011 EU-Brazil Summit within the context of the Eurozone crisis, the developments in the Middle East and the emergence of Brazil as a major player on the world stage. It does so through a discourse analysis of the Summit's conclusion on issues of global, regional and bilateral relevance. The paper argues that developments within the framework of the Strategic Partnership have left a lot to be desired on a practical level, and argues that the reasons for its original inception were mostly related to political objectives rather than strong functional considerations. The paper is divided into three parts. The first reviews the history of the Strategic Partnership; the second seeks to explain the concept and incentives for the 2007 agreement; finally, the third part sheds light on the events surrounding the 2011 Summit and draws conclusions regarding its outcome.
This paper examines the role of the media in transforming discourses of „otherness‟ and as a cons... more This paper examines the role of the media in transforming discourses of „otherness‟ and as a consequence, influencing foreign policy decisions vis-à-vis states perceived as „Others‟. The argument is that as an agent with the power to construct discourses of identity, the media hold the potential to re-construct perceptions of the„Other‟, thus intensifying or transforming discourses of conflict. Adding to that the function of the press as a guide for the formulation of public opinion and, in turn, policy-makers‟ decisions, through processes such as priming, agenda-setting and indexing (eg.McCombs&Shaw;Entmann), it is proposed that the study of the „Other‟ in the media is crucial in understanding developments in bilateral relations and foreign policy decisions in cases of conflict transformation (Diez 2002).The paper focuses on the case of the Greek press and its role in Greek-Turkish relations, a role described as that of formulating perceptions of 'otherness' (Hatzidimos, 19...
Policy implications aside, assessing the EU’s involvement in the Mediterranean region necessitate... more Policy implications aside, assessing the EU’s involvement in the Mediterranean region necessitates a reconsideration of the impact and limits of the so-called ‘normative power’ upon which its approach has been based, implicitly or explicitly. This paper does so by examining the EU’s engagement with Egypt and the Israel-Palestine conflict; it sets out to challenge the notion that EU-style normative power alone is well-suited to promote democracy and regional cooperation, particularly in regions with diverging dynamics where the promotion of EU-associated norms may stumble upon European trade- and diplomacy-related interests. In this sense, it aims to enrich and inform the debates on ‘normative power Europe’ and Euro-Mediterranean relations.
This chapter outlines the main changes in the European Parliament’s (EP’s) role in the area of se... more This chapter outlines the main changes in the European Parliament’s (EP’s) role in the area of security and defence introduced by the Lisbon Treaty. It then assesses how the EP has since used its general powers (elective, budgetary and legislative) in order to increase its role in the policy-making process in this area. It focuses particularly on developments related and subsequent to the conception and release of the European Union’s (EU’s) Global Strategy (2015–2017), coinciding with a significant turn in the development of the EU’s security and defence policy and a renewed emphasis on the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty’s provisions on the Common Security and Defence Policy as a reaction to new geopolitical realities in the EU’s security environment.
Multilateralism is a concept which has been given increasing attention, particularly by western d... more Multilateralism is a concept which has been given increasing attention, particularly by western democracies, since the end of the Cold War, even if its practice dates back at least to 1815. The issue of whether it has now become a ‘doctrine’, that is a coherent guide to policy practice, is more arguable. If it has, then the European Union is the leader in conceptualising and articulating such a doctrine. Indeed, it comes closer than any other single concept to expressing what the EU stands for in world politics. The idea of multilateralism is used often to legitimise EU actions, although it has been qualified after 9.11. by the term ‘effective’, thus hinting at the European wish to avoid mere idealism, and willingness to make hard choices. This dilemma is matched by that between regional and universal multilateralism, which faces all actors in international politics. The EU experiences it keenly in the areas of both security and trade. A further sharp difficulty is over multilateral...
Think Tanks, Foreign Policy and the Emerging Powers
The contemporary world is constantly facing new challenges as new political, economic, and social... more The contemporary world is constantly facing new challenges as new political, economic, and social challenges arise. With the advent of numerous international organizations, emerging states, and new security threats, think tanks now have a bigger role than ever before. In addition to the proliferation of abundant autonomous think tank organizations, there are three other main categories: government affiliated, university affiliated, and electoral party affiliated. This book provides case studies of think tanks around the world, explains the work they do, and displays their influence in policy-making.
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Papers by Elena Lazarou