External Perceptions of the European Union as a Global Actor: (Routledge/GARNET series)

This book examines how the European Union (EU) is perceived beyond its borders in the US; the Middle East: Israel, Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Iran; Russia; China; India; Brazil and South Africa. The book also analyses the main perceptions of the EU in some key international institutions, including the World Bank; World Trade Organization, United Nations, African Union; and transnational actors, including non-Western media such as Al Jazeera. It seeks to provide a thorough analysis of the implications that these perceptions might have for the global role of the EU. By taking this approach and by providing both conceptual and empirical arguments, the volume provides an innovative perspective on the analysis of the EU as a global actor. It also strengthens a research agenda on the EU external image: an underdeveloped area of investigation in which the editors and the main contributors to this volume have played a pioneering role in the past few years. It will be of strong interest to academics and students of international politics, European studies and development studies.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction – The EU in the Eyes of the Others: Why bother? Sonia Lucarelli and Lorenzo Fioramonti Part 1: Great powers, Conflict Areas and Emerging Markets 2. American Perceptions of the EU: Through a Glass, Darkly or Through the Looking Glass? Jim Sperling 3. Eastern Giants: The EU in the Eyes of Russia and China Mara Morini, Roberto Peruzzi and Arlo Poletti 4. Taking the Lead: EU Mediation Role Assessed by Iran and Lebanon Ruth Hanau Santini, Raffaele Mauriello, Lorenzo Trombetta 5. Between Attraction and Resistance: Israeli views of the European Union Sharon Pardo 6. Conflict and Hope: The EU in the Eyes of Palestine Simona Santoro and Rami Nasrallah 7. The Emerging ‘Global South’: The EU in the Eyes of India, Brazil and South Africa Gerrit Olivier and Lorenzo Fioramonti 8. So Far, So Close? Mexico’s Views of the EU Alejandro Chanona Part 2: International Organizations, Regional Institutions and the Media 9. Partnership in Peril? Images and Strategies in EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement Negotiations Ole Elgstrom 10. Aid, Trade and Development: World Bank’s Views on the EU’s Role in the Global Political Economy Eugenia Baroncelli 11. The EU through the Eyes of the United Nations: The Quest for Unity Franziska Brantner 12. Regional Partners? Perceptions and Criticisms at the African Union Daniela Sicurelli 13. Non-Western Media and the EU: Perspectives from Al Jazeera Donatella Della Ratta 14. Close Enough? The EU’s Global Role Described by Non-European Diplomats in Brussels Caterina Carta 15. Conclusions - Self-Representations and External Perceptions: Can the EU Bridge the Gap? Lorenzo Fioramonti and Sonia Lucarelli

About the Author :
Sonia Lucarelli, PhD, is Lecturer of International Relations at the University of Bologna (Italy). She has written widely on International relations theory, the EU's foreign policy and the external image of the EU. Among her publications: (co-editor with Furio Cerutti) The Search for a European identity. Values, Policies and Legitimacy of the European Union, London: Routledge; in print; (ed.) Beyond Self Perception: The Others' View of the European Union, Special issue of European Foreign Affairs Review, 3/2007; (co-editor with Ian Manners) Values and Principles in EU Foreign Policy, London: Routledge 2006; (co-editor with Claudio Radaelli) Mobilising Politics and Society? The EU Convention's Impact on Southern Europe, London: Routledge 2005; Europe and the Breakup of Yugoslavia. A Political Failure in Search of a Scholarly Explanation, The Hague: Kluwer 2000. She is also the author of several academic articles and chapters on the topics of her competence. Lorenzo Fioramonti, PhD, is Research Fellow at the University of Bologna (Italy). Previously, he was Lecturer in European Studies at the Department of Political Sciences of the University of Pretoria (South Africa) and Senior Researcher at CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, based in Johannesburg (South Africa). He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative and European Politics and has published widely on European Union's external relations, civil society and development policies in international journals such as Development in Practice, European Foreign Affairs Review and Third World Quarterly. He is the editor of the CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Society (Kumarian Press, 2007).

Review :
'Lucarelli and Fioramonti's edited book is a valuable contribution that sheds light on the role of the EU in the world [...] Not only is the chapter sequence coherent with the theoretical framework outlined by the editors, but each chapter is also a valuable piece in itself and can be read individually as a clear and detailed explanation of the perceptions related to the specific geographical area considered.' - The International Spectator, Vol. 45, No. 3, September 2010, 156--157