Unit 2.2- Actors and factors of the Spanish Foreign Policy Flashcards
1
Q
Law 2/2014
A
- The fundamental regulation of the actual FP of Spain is the Law of Foreign Action and Service
This regulation defines the three main concepts of the FP of Spain:
- Foreign Policy: The set of actions and decisions of the government, taken regarding its relations with other international actors, with the declared objective of defining, promoting, developing and defending the values and interests of Spain abroad.
- The Foreign Action of the State: The organized set of actions conducted abroad by the Constitutional bodies, including the Public Administrations, organisms, entities and dependent institutions in the execution of their respective competences, developed in accordance with the principles established by the Law, the observance to the objectives, directives and aims established by the Government on the international sphere as main competent body involved in the direction of the Foreign Policy .
- The Foreign Service of the State: Which is the set of organisms, agencies, people and material instruments involved in the implementation and development of the Foreign Policy and the Foreign Action under the direction and coordination of the Government
2
Q
General claims and objectives of the foreign policy in Spain: From a national perspective:
A
- Territorial integrity; sovereignty; the protection of the life of the Spanish population.
- Economic and social well-being
- Protection and defense of the Spanish identity and culture
3
Q
General claims and objectives of the foreign policy in Spain: From a international perspective:
A
- Peace and international security
- Protection of the Human Rights
- Submission to the international Law
- Development of the different peoples of the world.
4
Q
General aims and objectives of the foreign policy of Spain:
A
On the contrary, the objectives of Spanish foreign policy are those specific goals that must be achieved and maintained in the short to medium term and that are the result of the implementation of specific foreign policies. The general objectives of the Spanish Foreign Policy are:
- The maintenance and promotion of peace and international security.
- The promotion of multilateralism and multilateral organisations.
- The promotion and consolidation of political systems based on the rule of law and respect for human rights and public freedoms.
- The fight against poverty, the promotion of cooperation with the underdeveloped countries and the economic and social promotion of each individual international state actor.
- The protection of the environment and global biodiversity, the fight against climate change and the promotion of global food security.
- The promotion of progressive global arms reduction and the dismantling of arsenals of chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
- Support for a more integrated and legitimate EU and its emergence as a referential global power.
- The strengthening of the Ibero-American community of nations.
- The security and well-being of Spain and its people.
- The support and protection of Spanish citizens abroad and the international promotion of Spanish economic interests.
5
Q
The Spanish Foreign POlicy Strategy:
A
- One of the main problems of Spanish foreign policy is precisely the overlapping concepts with which it is usually confused.
- If Law 2/2014 refers to Foreign Action, when in fact it expresses the main elements of Spanish state foreign policy, the same happens with the Spanish Foreign Action Strategy 21-24, which is still in use. In fact I was created under the slogan “Spain is back”
- This document is in fact a guide to the Spanish government’s foreign policy, but it is expressed as a series of interconnected foreign actions.
- The resulting confusion also supports the idea that governmental foreign action is the same as national foreign action, and that is why the rhetoric used in the document constantly refers back to the ideas of the Pedro Sanchez government, passing them off as if they were common Spanish ideals.
6
Q
Three main processes that for the current gov permeate all IR:
A
- The domestic policy of the US
- The effects of the covid 19 pandemic
- A supposed Sino-American rivalry (China US)
7
Q
The underlying forces that guide international relations (for Sanchez gov):
A
- Global interdependence
- The increasing complexity of international relations
- An increase in the speed of decision-making.
- An increase in uncertainty.
8
Q
The main fault lines of international society (Sanchez gov):
A
- A socio-economic shift, linked to a more ambitious questioning of the economic and social model supported by capitalism.
- An ecological change linked to the idea that we are reaching the limits of the regenerative capacity of our environment on a global scale and the impact of this climate change on the different economic systems.
- A technological gap linked to the unequal international access to and development of technological progress and the opportunities it offers, especially those linked to the fight against inequality and the promotion of education.
- A political and governance failure, linked to the inability of current democratic approaches to understand, face and resolve the challenges that are reshaping international society.
9
Q
Main Spanish Assets:
A
- Spain is leader in social and ecological issues. The special interest shown by the Sanchez government in the promotion of human rights, gender inequality and violence, the rights of the LGTBIQ+ community and the efforts made by various administrations to promote green technologies appear to be the first asset of Spain.
- Spain is a solidary society. The attention traditionally paid by Spanish society to international cooperation, assistance in disaster management and leadership in organ transplants and techniques are highlighted as the second Spanish asset to be taken into account.
- Spanish softpower. Based on a clear and distinctive identity, Spanish soft power for the Sanchez administration is a mix of traditional and innovative elements. The Spanish language and the quality of life in Spain are particularly important in this approach.
- Spanish global approach and multidimensional identity. In view of Spain’s global vocation and multidimensional identity, the Strategy 21-24 focuses on the overlapping geopolitical and geoeconomic interests of Spain, which are essentially organised around the Mediterranean, Europe and the Atlantic coasts, with a particular interest in Latin America, Europe and, surprisingly, Africa. It entrusts Spain as a valid interlocutor with these three regions.
- Spanish Europeanism and global projection. Finally the Spanish Europeanism and its global agenda are the last assets of Spain in this strategy 21-24. Here Sanchez Administration focus on the importance of the European integration process, the UN system of human rights protection and the Paris agreement on climate change, among other elements to support the idea of Spain as a global player.
10
Q
The four main guiding principles of Spain’s foreign policy under Pedro Sanchez:
A
- More Europe, which implies a strengthening of the European integration process and the importance for Spain of the issues on the European agenda.
- Better multilateralism, which implies the idea that things will only go well for Spain if they go well for Europe and the world as a whole, and this will only happen if we approach global problems from a multilateral perspective.
- Strategic bilateralism, which implies that certain countries with special ties to Spain are crucial for Spanish security and development. And this explicitly includes all Latin American countries. Mediterranean and African countries.
- Committed solidarity: This means that Spain must and progress in a world where there are serious development gaps, poverty and injustice in all their forms - are addressed with with the urgency and they deserve.
11
Q
Four main geopolitical areas crucial for Spanish FP:
A
- Latin America and the Caribbean in the first place,
- Maghreb and the Middle East,
- North America
- And Sub-Saharan Africa.
12
Q
Five main objectives important for the Spanish FP perspective = in reality for the actual administration:
A
- Protection of human rights
- Feminism
- Development of democracy
- Promotion of diversity
- Enforcement of security.
13
Q
These general objectives in each region:
A
- In Latin America and the Caribbean, Spain will seek a globally integrated, just and equitable society and economy in the region.
- In the Middle East and Maghreb, Spain will focus on a more sustainable, resilient, habitable and greener planet.
- In North America, Spain’s external action will focus on regional integration and multilateralism.
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, Spain will focus on security and prosperity through inclusive, sustainable and resilient economic development, institutional strengthening and democratisation.
14
Q
- The Foreign Service of the State:
A
Which is the set of organisms, agencies, people and material instruments involved in the implementation and development of the Foreign Policy and the Foreign Action under the direction and coordination of the Government
15
Q
- Foreign Policy:
A
The set of actions and decisions of the government, taken regarding its relations with other international actors, with the declared objective of defining, promoting, developing and defending the values and interests of Spain abroad.
