| ID | 147919 |
| Title Proper | EU’s ‘caoutchouc’ strategy |
| Other Title Information | something for everyone |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Ham, Peter van |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Jim Wallis once famously argued that “a budget is a moral document”. Arguably, the same applies to the EU’s Global Strategy which was adopted in June 2016. What is believed to be laudable, necessary and feasible reflects the EU’s collective values as much as its interests. The Global Strategy suggests that “[o]ur interests and values go hand in hand”, confirming Nathalie Tocci’s claim that “the sterile debate on ‘interests versus values’” has been overcome by choosing a strategy of “principled pragmatism”. Those who know the EU and understand what makes it tick, will not be surprised. Its new Global Strategy is dotted with the usual code-words reflecting the EU’s moral worldview based on “international law”, “multilateralism”, a “comprehensive approach”, and (a novelty) “resilience” (a concept which is referred to more than 40 times in this 51-page document). Even when dealing with terrorism, the EU suggests that it “will live up to its values internally and externally: this is the strongest antidote we have against violent extremism” (emphasis added). Moreover, when dealing with the challenges of uncontrolled mass migration, the Global Strategy argues that “[t]he Union cannot pull up a drawbridge to ward off external threats. To promote the security and prosperity of our citizens and to safeguard our democracies, we will manage interdependence”. These statements suggest that the EU firmly stays in its comfort zone, despite Tocci’s assertion that the EU should “observe the world (and ourselves) as it is, not as we would like to see it”. |
| `In' analytical Note | International Spectator Vol. 51, No.3; Sep 2016: p.22-23 |
| Journal Source | International Spectator Vol: 51 No 3 |
| Key Words | EU ; Caoutchouc Strategy |