The EU: Objectives and Roles Flashcards
what happened after WW2?
after WW2, Europe was in a unique position – the leaders of European countries had personally experienced the horrors and destruction of war and were determined to ‘never again’ repeat the mistakes of history
they also understood that it would take more than wishful thinking to prevent future conflict and more solid action would be required
what was the significance of WW2?
WW2 came just 21 years after the end of WW1, which was supposedly ‘the war to end all wars’
this intervening period saw the rise of nationalism in Germany and a global economic crisis that had devastating effects
such factors contributed to WW2 and would need to be curbed if conflict was going to be effectively prevented
what did the leaders of Europe recognise and see during the 20th century?
the leaders behind European integration had seen and recognised the dangers of cultural and economic nationalism
what is the danger of nationalism?
nations have a strong drive to look after their own, often at the expense of others
when jobs are being lost, governments are under pressure to help save them through public money and placing restrictions on foreign imports, but the countries affected by these import restrictions retaliate
so rather than saving jobs and improving domestic economies, this nationalistic approach made things worse and caused tension and conflict
the same conclusions about nationalism were drawn by those at the Bretton Woods Conference
the same conclusions were drawn by the international leaders who met at the Bretton Woods Conference in the USA in 1944
they believed that the way to prevent the growth of nationalism and avoid damaging economic policies was to ensure global financial stability
as well as encourage as much global trade as possible in order to bridge the divides between countries and cause them to become interconnected and interdependent, making war and conflict unthinkable
what is the liberal view about ensuring peace through integration?
according to liberals, one of the ways to ensure peace in the world was to encourage interdependence and prosperity through trade
by trading, states cooperate to their mutual benefit so it is not in anyone’s interest to go to war
trade also fosters better communication and greater understanding between states
what did this liberal view lead to?
this liberal view about achieving peace was the thinking behind the European project as well as the US Marshall Plan after WW2
what was the Marshall Plan?
the Marshall Plan benefited American industry by giving European states money to spend, thus kick-starting the economies of post-war Europe and ensuring growing prosperity in the region
this probably helped maintain peace and stability in European and ensured that these countries remained part of the capitalist, democratic free world rather than succumbing to communism during the Cold War
the EU’s security role
part of the EU’s role is security
states are so closely entwined, meaning that they rely on each other in security matters
close cooperation takes place between member states in terms of anti-terrorism, organised crime and human trafficking
Europol enhances police cooperation in the EU
foreign policy cooperation within the EU
there is also now formal foreign policy cooperation when there is a consensus through the European External Action Service (EEAS)
states maintain their own foreign policies to serve their own national interest, but they also understand that their voice can be stronger if all the members speak together
this is not easy to achieve but when it does happen the foreign policy interests of the EU can carry more weight
NATO and the EU
while the EU hopes to ensure that the conditions for peace and prosperity are maintained, it has not developed into a full-on security or military organisation
there is police and intelligence cooperation via the EU, but the best example of a regional security organisation is NATO
NATO and the EU have many shared members, but they are not all the same – Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, Finland and Sweden are all members of the EU but they are not members of NATO, while Albania, Turkey and Norway are members of NATO but not the EU
