European Foreign Policy Making Toward the Mediterranean: (Europe in Transition: The NYU European Studies Series)

A comprehensive and theoretically informed examination of European foreign policy making towards the Mediterranean, from 1957 to nowadays. The book focuses on the reasons and the patterns of Europeans' actions, with a special emphasis on the early 1970s and on current times. It analyses how interest in Europe for the Mediterranean has generally arisen out of a shared sense of puzzlement in front of challenges, such as terrorism or migration, originating from the Southern neighbours. The book casts new light on the role of member states as policy entrepreneurs in European integration, and explains European foreign policy as a way to collectively reconstruct a new understanding of Euro-Mediterranean relations.

Table of Contents:
Introduction European Foreign Policy Making in Search of a Theory The Euro-Mediterranean Relations from 1957 to 1972: When no European Foreign Policy Existed Inventing the Mediterranean: From the Global Mediterranean Policy to the Euro-Arab Dialogue The New Post-Cold War Activism

About the Author :
FEDERICA BICCHI is a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Analysis of Political Change, University of Siena, Italy, and co-editor of two books .

Review :
'This important book provides a comprehensive account of the history and theory of the European Union's external relations vis-a-vis the Mediterranean. But because the study also asks why the EU carries out the foreign policy initiatives that it undertakes at certain critical junctures, the study has implications far beyond the Mediterranean. The book will be invaluable to students and scholars seeking to understand the EU's external relations.' - Rachel Epstein, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver 'This book is a "must read" for at least three reasons: First, it is the most comprehensive and in-depth analysis of European policies toward the Mediterranean region to date covering fifty years of policy-making. Second, we also learn a lot about the evolution of European foreign policy from the European Political Cooperation (EPC) to the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Last but not least, Federica Bicchi presents and tests a theoretical model to analyze European foreign policy and, thus, contributes substantially to the larger debate about the role of ideas in international relations.' - Thomas Risse, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University 'Based on a provocative theoretical framework that highlights cognitive uncertainty and policy entrepreneurship, this excellent book tells the engaging story of European foreign policy toward the Mediterranean since the 1970's and of its recent framing as region building. A 'must read' for everyone interested in European and Mediterranean politics, and more generally, regional integration and International Relations theory.' - Emanuel Adler, Andrea and Charles Bronfman, Professor of Israeli Studies, University of Toronto 'As one might expect from a lecturer at the London School of Economics, it is well-researched, rigorous and painstakingly referenced.' - Guy Edmunds, European Voice '...a much-welcomed in-depth study of the EU's policies towards this region.' - Michelle Pace, Political Studies Review '...a challenging, informed and comprehensive, theoretical and empirical account of fifty years of EU policy towards the Mediterranean...important, sophisticated and highly recommended.' - Nathalie Tocci, The International Spectator