New theoretical perspectives and implications for Europe. Two book presentations that will explore in detail the implications of US-China competition for 21st Century international politics, and it will do so from original theoretical perspectives
Following the end of the Cold War, US military and economic preponderance buttressed a globalised and unipolar world. That world is now clearly over. China’s (re-)emergence to regional – if not global – prominence has led to the revival of great power competition and to an active contestation of the international order by both Washington and Beijing. This talk will explore in detail the implications of US-China competition for 21st Century international politics, and it will do so from original theoretical perspectives.
The authors of two newly-published, important books will engage in a conversation on the drivers, significance and implications of the United States’ relative decline and China’s rise. Realists and power transition theorists have emphasised how Beijing’ ascendency is likely to generate instability, security competition and even trigger a hegemonic war. Liberals assumed that China would join the US-led international order, rather than try to subvert it. Dian and Leoni draw instead from an English School and Critical Studies approach, respectively, to paint a more complex picture of China’s rise, its impact on the international order, and of US responses to inter-state competition. The discussion will introduce new International Relations theory-informed standpoints on this most vital relationship to 21st Century peace and prosperity, while exploring the implications of these original perspectives for Europe.
Speakers:
Matteo Dian (University of Bologna)
Zeno Leoni (Defence Academy of the United Kingdom)
Discussant:
Silvia Menegazzi (LUISS Guido Carli University)
Organiser:
Giulio Pugliese (University of Oxford and European University Institute)
Books presented:
Matteo Dian, La Cina, gli Stati Uniti e il Futuro dell’Ordine Internazionale, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2021. (China, the United States and the future of the International Order).
Zeno Leoni, American Grand Strategy from Obama to Trump: Imperialism After Bush and China’s Hegemonic Challenge, Palgrave MacMillan, London, 2021.
A workshop (21-22 October 2021) aiming to advance the scholarly debate on differentiation in EU’s foreign and security policy by providing a more comprehensive understanding of this increasingly important phenomenon, its underlying logic, manifestations, and the consequences for the coherence of this policy area.
21 October @ 09.00 – 17.00 CEST
22 October @ 09.00 – 14.00 CEST
In the last decade, due to both institutional developments and external pressures resulting from the growing unpredictability of the EU’s security environment, EU’s foreign policy practices have grown increasingly complex. Among other institutional practices, instances of both internal and external differentiation have increased. Scholarly attention has focused on the value – or lack thereof – of differentiation for the coherence of the EU’s foreign and security policy, as well on the various forms that differentiated integration (DI) can take in this policy field (e.g. Permanent Structured Cooperation). Yet, despite the growing debate on DI in EU’s foreign and security policy, there is a general lack of scholarly work offering convincing theoretical explanation underpinned by empirical data. Additionally, existing literature generally overlooks the reasons why the existing Treaty-based mechanisms that can enable differentiation in this policy sector, such as constructive abstention, have hardly been used.
Against this backdrop, the aim of the workshop is to advance the scholarly debate, and to grasp the complexity of differentiation in EU’s foreign and security policy by providing a more comprehensive understanding of this increasingly important phenomenon, its underlying logic, manifestations, and the consequences for the coherence of this policy area.
We invite paper proposals on a wide range of topics related to DI in the EU’s foreign and security policy and in the EU’s external action. Since the workshop also aims at developing a special issue proposal for one of the leading academic journals in the field, we are interested in papers that combine a robust conceptual framework with empirical data.
To apply, please electronically submit an abstract of 300 – 500 words and your CV (including a list of publications) using the link below, by by 30 June 2021.
Applicants will be informed of the results of the selection process by 15 July. If selected, we will ask you to submit a draft paper of between 4000 and 6000 words by 1 October 2021.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, specific arrangements concerning the occurrence, the modalities (physical presence; online; hybrid); the timing and the duration of the workshop will be made at a later stage.
There is no participation fee. Should the workshop be held in presence, lunches, coffee breaks and a dinner will be offered by the organisers. Some financial support for travel and accommodation may be available for selected participants.
Please take note of the following timeline:
30 June 2021 – deadline for submission of abstracts and scholarship applications
15 July 2021 – applicants will be informed of the results of the selection process
1 October 2021 – deadline for submission of drafts of papers
21 – 22 October 2021 – workshop