Sovereignty became a buzzword today. It seemed to disappear in the post-Cold War course but survived through a series of economic and geopolitical crises. The current Dialogue departs from the persistent idea of the multilayered nature of sovereignty. While the internal layer comprises autonomy in interior affairs, the main focus is on the so-called external sovereignty, which implies the presence of other actors in the international system and whose tacit or explicit recognition of other sovereignty is a necessary variable in determining one's geopolitical course and strategy. Thus, the Dialogue addresses strategic sovereignty as a narrative of EU foreign policy regarding targeted countries and small states, in particular.
Often in European political discourse, sovereignty, and autonomy are seen as exchangeable, despite some emphatic recommendations not to use strategic autonomy synonymously with sovereignty (N. Tocci) but to refer to sovereignty as 'managing interdependence'. The Global Strategy (2016) loosely defines the EU strategic autonomy as the "capacity to act autonomously when and where necessary and with partners wherever possible”. Ongoing debates fail to come to a consensus on its precise objectives and outreach but describe the systemic pressures and the competing interests of European member states as core variables in the narrative of the EU strategic sovereignty.
The Dialogue with invited speaker Archil Sikharulidze, Tbilisi State University (Georgia) unfolds around paradigmatic questions about the EU's strategic sovereignty narrative in foreign policy actions.
• Does the value-based approach relate to the strategic autonomy under discussion today?
• To what degree is the EU's awareness of its own strategic autonomy/sovereignty a guiding principle for the states with which the EU is in relations?
• Is the recognition of strategic autonomy to other actors included in the EU's concept of external sovereignty?
• How are small countries that have chosen the European path (Moldova, Northern Macedonia, Georgia) incorporated into this paradigm?
Georgia feasibly demonstrates the sovereignty dilemma facing small states, seeking a coalition with and within the EU. Thus, the Dialogue fosters discussions about the European strategic autonomy narrative and its' specific implementation in foreign policy actions, small states’ visions and perceptions of its potential impact on the EU’s targeted foreign policy.
| Open to | all |
|---|---|
| Prior registration | requested |
| Organised by | Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies |
| Contact organizer of event | Oxana.Karnaukhova@uni-passau.de |
| Link to the virtual meeting room (e.g. ZOOM / MS Teams) | https://us05web.zoom.us/j/85444552088?pwd=cjAvSVN4WW1tM0VOaTRuWmlqeEpkQT09 |
