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To put the EU flag on the Armenian highlands: a case study analysis of EU security actorness in the South Caucasus through the establishment of the EU Mission in Armenia

Alidzanovic, Amila LU (2023) STVM23 20231
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Since the Lisbon Treaty failed in strengthening the EU’s global actorness – not least within Russia’s sphere of interest – the EU has been described as ‘a global actor past its peak’. However, following Azerbaijan’s aggressions on Armenian sovereign territory in September 2022, Armenia invited the EU to deploy a CSDP mission in the country. Since Armenia is one of Russia’s closest allies and CSDP is one of the EU’s least profiled policy areas, this novel and unpredictable case is highly relevant for studies on EU actorness. Therefore, this thesis aims to answer the question: Has the establishment of the EU Mission to Armenia defined the EU as a security actor in the country, and what opportunities/constrains – both internally, and... (More)
Since the Lisbon Treaty failed in strengthening the EU’s global actorness – not least within Russia’s sphere of interest – the EU has been described as ‘a global actor past its peak’. However, following Azerbaijan’s aggressions on Armenian sovereign territory in September 2022, Armenia invited the EU to deploy a CSDP mission in the country. Since Armenia is one of Russia’s closest allies and CSDP is one of the EU’s least profiled policy areas, this novel and unpredictable case is highly relevant for studies on EU actorness. Therefore, this thesis aims to answer the question: Has the establishment of the EU Mission to Armenia defined the EU as a security actor in the country, and what opportunities/constrains – both internally, and externally – have contributed to it? The question has been answered by applying Bretherton and Vogler’s constructivist approach on EU actorness which was translated into an ideal type. Mixed material in form of statistical data, political speeches, official documents, and interviews were analyzed based on the theoretical approach. The empirical findings were then contrasted and compared to the ideal type. Results show that the establishment of the mission has defined the EU as a security actor in Armenia. However, some internal constraining factors remain to be a challenge. The results also highlight the EU’s geopolitical aspirations, where the mission is considered a means for larger geopolitical gains. (Less)
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author
Alidzanovic, Amila LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM23 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
European Union (EU), actorness, CSDP, civilian mission, South Caucasus
language
English
id
9115439
date added to LUP
2023-08-27 16:19:49
date last changed
2023-08-27 16:19:49
@misc{9115439,
  abstract     = {{Since the Lisbon Treaty failed in strengthening the EU’s global actorness – not least within Russia’s sphere of interest – the EU has been described as ‘a global actor past its peak’. However, following Azerbaijan’s aggressions on Armenian sovereign territory in September 2022, Armenia invited the EU to deploy a CSDP mission in the country. Since Armenia is one of Russia’s closest allies and CSDP is one of the EU’s least profiled policy areas, this novel and unpredictable case is highly relevant for studies on EU actorness. Therefore, this thesis aims to answer the question: Has the establishment of the EU Mission to Armenia defined the EU as a security actor in the country, and what opportunities/constrains – both internally, and externally – have contributed to it? The question has been answered by applying Bretherton and Vogler’s constructivist approach on EU actorness which was translated into an ideal type. Mixed material in form of statistical data, political speeches, official documents, and interviews were analyzed based on the theoretical approach. The empirical findings were then contrasted and compared to the ideal type. Results show that the establishment of the mission has defined the EU as a security actor in Armenia. However, some internal constraining factors remain to be a challenge. The results also highlight the EU’s geopolitical aspirations, where the mission is considered a means for larger geopolitical gains.}},
  author       = {{Alidzanovic, Amila}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{To put the EU flag on the Armenian highlands: a case study analysis of EU security actorness in the South Caucasus through the establishment of the EU Mission in Armenia}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}