Power and Leadership in European Foreign Policy. Britain, France and Germany

Is the support for Europe as a global power an expression of an Europeanization of foreign policy? Or is this espousal simply instrumental to enhance national power through the medium of Europe?

Britain, France and Germany are medium sized powers, who hold global ambitions in foreign policy. Yet, after the end of the Cold War, the quest for a global role is increasingly pursued through the framework of the European Union.

The book is a comparative study of British, French and German foreign policy over the last two decades. Using the innovative role theory analysis, which builds on the theoretical literature of foreign policy analysis, national identity and sociological role theory, this book focuses on the convergence and divergence of their foreign policy. Empirically rich with a systematic, comparative analysis of speeches and interviews with policy-makers and politicians from Britain, France and Germany, this book offers a unique ‘insider view’, of the framing of national foreign policies, and also of the evolution of the European Union as a global security actor.

It will be of strong interest to students and scholars of Comparative Foreign Policy, International Relations and European Studies.

Contents:
1. Foreign Policy in a Changing World
2. Role Theory Analysis
3. Britain: Searching for a Role?
4. France: A Distinctive Role?
5. Germany: A ‘Normal’ Role?
6. Europe as a Global Security Actor
7. The Quest for a Global Role in a Multipolar World