Analysts of the question whether the European Union has characteristics of an empire like the German political scientist Herfried Münkler declare that the end of the Cold War and the resulting collapse of the Soviet Union led to a power vacuum in east-central Europe, a post-imperial space with a critical potential for instability. Therefore the European Union had to adapt to the new strategical situation by application of elements which are part of the traditional imperial order, like semi-permeable border regions, commonly accepted currency and lines of communication and a graduation from a center of power to client- and satellite-states. By chance, this was just the area in which the recent rounds of EU enlargement gathered new member states. On that score Jan Zielonka’s book Europe as Empire can be seen as a contribution to a debate whether the process or current status of the European integration and enlargement has elements of imperical order or should have them.
Zielonka, Professor of European Politics and Ralf Dahrendorf Fellow of the St Antony's College at Oxford University since 2004, promotes the hypothesis of Europe being an empire of a, as he calls it, neo-medieval paradigm exactly because of the characteristics of the admission of the post-socialist states to the European Union which is now an entity of twenty-seven nations of very different levels of political and economic significance. This, so the Zielonkas’s argument goes, enlarged Union is more diversified and therefore will likely become a sphere of a blurred European identity and multilevel and multicentred governance without a centre of power or institutionalized hierarchy, something which Zielonka sees as remote resemblance of a medieval empire like the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation which in fact was neither holy, nor roman or empire, but at least overarched the medieval German rag rug of duchies, electorates and kingdoms.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- The Nature of the Enlarged European Union
- Europe as Empire - A Neo-Medieval Paradigm
- The Peace of Westphalia - A Statist Outlook
- The Neo-Medieval Empire - A Different Approach
- The Eastern Enlargement - A Strategic Interest of the EU
- Diversification and Transformation of the Union
- The Limitations of the "Neo-Medieval Empire" Concept
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This book report examines Jan Zielonka's "Europe as Empire", which analyzes the impact of the European Union's eastern enlargement on its political and economic landscape. Zielonka argues that the enlarged EU, with its diverse membership and multi-level governance, resembles a neo-medieval empire, challenging the traditional Westphalian model of a centralized superstate.
- The nature of the enlarged European Union and its implications for European integration.
- The contrast between a Westphalian superstate model and a neo-medieval empire model for the EU.
- The impact of the EU's eastern enlargement on the political and economic landscape of Europe.
- The role of incentives and the polycentric system of governance in the EU's expansion.
- The strategic interest of the EU behind the eastern enlargement and its implications for European power politics.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The book's first section examines the context for the EU's enlargement, arguing that the end of the Cold War created a power vacuum in Eastern Europe. The EU's response, according to Zielonka, was to adopt elements of traditional imperial order, such as permeable borders and the export of EU standards, to stabilize the region.
Chapter two explores the concept of a neo-medieval empire, arguing that the EU's diversity and multi-layered governance resemble the characteristics of medieval empires. This model, Zielonka contends, is more likely to prevail than the creation of a centralized European superstate.
The third section focuses on the Peace of Westphalia and the traditional statist model of European integration, which emphasizes a centralized government and clear-defined borders. This model, Zielonka argues, is incompatible with the EU's expanded membership and the resulting diversity in political and economic structures.
The fourth chapter further elaborates on the neo-medieval empire model, contrasting it with both traditional imperial powers and the alleged dominance of the US as a hyperpower. The EU's expansion, it argues, is characterized by incentives and a polycentric system of governance that balances different levels of authority.
The fifth section examines the strategic interests behind the EU's eastern enlargement, highlighting its significance as a "quintessential foreign policy act" and the key role of power politics in contemporary Europe.
The sixth chapter analyzes the impact of the eastern enlargement on the diversity and transformation of the European Union. It argues that the enlargement has rendered the Union more diverse and multi-faceted, challenging the idea of a clear east-west or pro-USA vs. anti-USA divide.
The final chapter, which is not summarized here, delves into the limitations and implications of the "neo-medieval empire" concept, considering the differences between modern media democracies and medieval societies.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key themes explored in this book include European integration, eastern enlargement, neo-medieval empire, Westphalian model, power politics, incentives, polycentric governance, and diversity. The book focuses on analyzing the changing nature of the European Union in the aftermath of the Cold War and the implications of the EU's expansion for its political and economic landscape.
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- Johannes Wiedemann (Autor:in), 2010, A Book Report on "Europe as Empire – The Nature of the Enlarged European Union", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/162300
