Ontological Insecurity in the European Union

Ontological Insecurity in the European Union

Author: Catarina Kinnvall

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-05-21

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 0429559402

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The European Union (EU) faces many crises and risks to its security and existence. While few of them threaten the lives of EU citizens, they all create a sense of anxiety and insecurity about the future for many ordinary Europeans. This comprehensive volume explores the concept of ‘ontological security’ which was introduced into international relations over a decade ago to better understand the ‘security of being’ found in feelings of fear, anxiety, crisis, and threat to wellbeing. The authors make use of this concept to explore how narratives of European integration have been part of public discourses in the post-war period and how reconciliation dynamics, national biographical narratives and memory politics have been enacted to create ontological security. Within this context, they also discuss the anxiety of the ‘remainers’ in the Brexit referendum and the consequences of its failure to address the ontological anxieties and insecurities of remain voters. The book also explores: how European security firms market ontological security and provide an ontological security-inspired reading of the EU’s relations with post-communist states; the EU and NATO’s engagement with hybrid threats; and the EU as an anxious community. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal European Security.


Book Synopsis Ontological Insecurity in the European Union by : Catarina Kinnvall

Download or read book Ontological Insecurity in the European Union written by Catarina Kinnvall and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-05-21 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The European Union (EU) faces many crises and risks to its security and existence. While few of them threaten the lives of EU citizens, they all create a sense of anxiety and insecurity about the future for many ordinary Europeans. This comprehensive volume explores the concept of ‘ontological security’ which was introduced into international relations over a decade ago to better understand the ‘security of being’ found in feelings of fear, anxiety, crisis, and threat to wellbeing. The authors make use of this concept to explore how narratives of European integration have been part of public discourses in the post-war period and how reconciliation dynamics, national biographical narratives and memory politics have been enacted to create ontological security. Within this context, they also discuss the anxiety of the ‘remainers’ in the Brexit referendum and the consequences of its failure to address the ontological anxieties and insecurities of remain voters. The book also explores: how European security firms market ontological security and provide an ontological security-inspired reading of the EU’s relations with post-communist states; the EU and NATO’s engagement with hybrid threats; and the EU as an anxious community. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal European Security.


Preserving the European Union's Ontological Security Through Resilience? Cases of the Eastern Partnership Countries

Preserving the European Union's Ontological Security Through Resilience? Cases of the Eastern Partnership Countries

Author: Katarina Jakubčeková

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 63

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Preserving the European Union's Ontological Security Through Resilience? Cases of the Eastern Partnership Countries by : Katarina Jakubčeková

Download or read book Preserving the European Union's Ontological Security Through Resilience? Cases of the Eastern Partnership Countries written by Katarina Jakubčeková and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


EU Enlargement and Ontological (in)security

EU Enlargement and Ontological (in)security

Author: Aleksandar Jekic

Publisher:

Published: 2023

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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The thesis deals with the enlargement framework of the European Union as a potential source of ontological insecurity in the case of North Macedonia. It does so by analysing the emergence and development of the Macedonian identity to understand which elements of the social and material environment constitute the Macedonian identity and in turn act as a source of ontological security. The latter is then applied on two critical situations, namely the Bulgarian veto to Macedonian accession negotiations in 2020 and the French proposal for resolving the dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia in 2022. This is achieved by employing a qualitative content analysis of 59 text units that were authored by members of Macedonian parliamentary parties in the period between the announcement of the Bulgarian veto in September 2020 and the acceptance of the French proposal in July 2022. The analysis shows that the initially divergent views on the Bulgarian veto in 2020 developed into a common threat perception across party lines. Moreover, it resulted in a common countermeasure in form of a parliamentary resolution that defined the state position of NM for the ongoing negotiations, constraining the ability on negotiating topics related to the Macedonian identity. With the French proposal, the perceptions between government and opposition started to differ significantly. Thereby, it is shown that EU enlargement can both serve as source of ontological security and insecurity. While governmental parties see EU membership as a protection of the Macedonian identity, the opposition connects the current enlargement framework to the disappearance of the own identity. The thesis, therefore, illustrates how an accession process can become deadlocked due to ontological insecurity, meaning that the current enlargement framework lacks a sufficient understanding of the impact of identity concerns within the accession process.


Book Synopsis EU Enlargement and Ontological (in)security by : Aleksandar Jekic

Download or read book EU Enlargement and Ontological (in)security written by Aleksandar Jekic and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The thesis deals with the enlargement framework of the European Union as a potential source of ontological insecurity in the case of North Macedonia. It does so by analysing the emergence and development of the Macedonian identity to understand which elements of the social and material environment constitute the Macedonian identity and in turn act as a source of ontological security. The latter is then applied on two critical situations, namely the Bulgarian veto to Macedonian accession negotiations in 2020 and the French proposal for resolving the dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia in 2022. This is achieved by employing a qualitative content analysis of 59 text units that were authored by members of Macedonian parliamentary parties in the period between the announcement of the Bulgarian veto in September 2020 and the acceptance of the French proposal in July 2022. The analysis shows that the initially divergent views on the Bulgarian veto in 2020 developed into a common threat perception across party lines. Moreover, it resulted in a common countermeasure in form of a parliamentary resolution that defined the state position of NM for the ongoing negotiations, constraining the ability on negotiating topics related to the Macedonian identity. With the French proposal, the perceptions between government and opposition started to differ significantly. Thereby, it is shown that EU enlargement can both serve as source of ontological security and insecurity. While governmental parties see EU membership as a protection of the Macedonian identity, the opposition connects the current enlargement framework to the disappearance of the own identity. The thesis, therefore, illustrates how an accession process can become deadlocked due to ontological insecurity, meaning that the current enlargement framework lacks a sufficient understanding of the impact of identity concerns within the accession process.


Conflict Resolution and Ontological Security

Conflict Resolution and Ontological Security

Author: Bahar Rumelili

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-12-17

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1317750160

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This volume highlights the ways in which the prospect of peace can generate anxieties and consequently set in motion social and political processes that reproduce and reactivate conflicts. In analysing this issue, the volume builds on the notion of ontological security and its recent applications to international relations theory. Although conflicts threaten the physical security of the parties involved, they also help settle existential questions about basic parameters of life, being, and identity, and thus over time become sources of ontological security. The prospect of peace, through the resolution or transformation of conflict, threatens to unsettle the stability and consistency of self-narratives, and their associated routines and habits at the individual, group, and state levels. The contributors argue two key points: 1) that ontological insecurity may set in motion political and social processes that reproduce and reactivate conflicts; 2) that coping with peace anxieties necessitates the formulation of alternative self-narratives at the individual, societal, and state levels that re-situate the Self in relation to Other and to the world at large. Consequently, the book analyses the ways in which, and the conditions under which, conflict resolution induces ontological insecurity, and the different ways in which ontological insecurity has prevented the successful culmination of peace processes in different conflict contexts, including Cyprus, Israel-Palestine and Northern Ireland. This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, conflict resolution, peace and conflict studies, social theory and IR in general.


Book Synopsis Conflict Resolution and Ontological Security by : Bahar Rumelili

Download or read book Conflict Resolution and Ontological Security written by Bahar Rumelili and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-12-17 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume highlights the ways in which the prospect of peace can generate anxieties and consequently set in motion social and political processes that reproduce and reactivate conflicts. In analysing this issue, the volume builds on the notion of ontological security and its recent applications to international relations theory. Although conflicts threaten the physical security of the parties involved, they also help settle existential questions about basic parameters of life, being, and identity, and thus over time become sources of ontological security. The prospect of peace, through the resolution or transformation of conflict, threatens to unsettle the stability and consistency of self-narratives, and their associated routines and habits at the individual, group, and state levels. The contributors argue two key points: 1) that ontological insecurity may set in motion political and social processes that reproduce and reactivate conflicts; 2) that coping with peace anxieties necessitates the formulation of alternative self-narratives at the individual, societal, and state levels that re-situate the Self in relation to Other and to the world at large. Consequently, the book analyses the ways in which, and the conditions under which, conflict resolution induces ontological insecurity, and the different ways in which ontological insecurity has prevented the successful culmination of peace processes in different conflict contexts, including Cyprus, Israel-Palestine and Northern Ireland. This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, conflict resolution, peace and conflict studies, social theory and IR in general.


Crisis and Ontological Insecurity

Crisis and Ontological Insecurity

Author: Filip Ejdus

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-07-01

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 303020667X

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This book develops a novel way of thinking about crises in world politics. By building on ontological security theory, this work conceptualises critical situations as radical disjunctions that challenge the ability of collective agents to ‘go on’. These ontological crises bring into the realm of discursive consciousness four fundamental questions related to existence, finitude, relations and autobiography. In times of crisis, collective agents such as states are particularly attached to their ontic spaces, or spatial extensions of the self that cause collective identities to appear more firm and continuous. These theoretical arguments are illustrated in a case study looking at Serbia’s anxiety over the secession of Kosovo. The author argues that Serbia’s seemingly irrational and self-harming policy vis-à-vis Kosovo can be understood as a form of ontological self-help. It is a rational pursuit of biographical continuity and a healthy sense of self in the face of an ontological crisis triggered by the secession of a province that has been constructed as the ontic space of the Serbian nation since the late 19th century.


Book Synopsis Crisis and Ontological Insecurity by : Filip Ejdus

Download or read book Crisis and Ontological Insecurity written by Filip Ejdus and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-07-01 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book develops a novel way of thinking about crises in world politics. By building on ontological security theory, this work conceptualises critical situations as radical disjunctions that challenge the ability of collective agents to ‘go on’. These ontological crises bring into the realm of discursive consciousness four fundamental questions related to existence, finitude, relations and autobiography. In times of crisis, collective agents such as states are particularly attached to their ontic spaces, or spatial extensions of the self that cause collective identities to appear more firm and continuous. These theoretical arguments are illustrated in a case study looking at Serbia’s anxiety over the secession of Kosovo. The author argues that Serbia’s seemingly irrational and self-harming policy vis-à-vis Kosovo can be understood as a form of ontological self-help. It is a rational pursuit of biographical continuity and a healthy sense of self in the face of an ontological crisis triggered by the secession of a province that has been constructed as the ontic space of the Serbian nation since the late 19th century.


European-Russian Power Relations in Turbulent Times

European-Russian Power Relations in Turbulent Times

Author: Mai'a Cross

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2021-04-13

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 0472132288

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The Russia-Europe relationship is deteriorating, signaling the darkest era yet in security on the continent since the end of the Cold War. In addition, the growing influence of the Trump administration has destabilized the transatlantic security community, compelling Europe—especially the European Union—to rethink its relations with Russia. The volume editors’ primary goal is to illuminate the nature of the deteriorating security relationship between Europe and Russia, and the key implications for its future. While the book is timely, the editors and contributors also draw out long-term lessons from this era of diplomatic degeneration to show how increasing cooperation between two regions can devolve into rapidly escalating conflict. While it is possible that the relationship between Russia and Europe can ultimately be restored, it is also necessary to understand why it was undermined in the first place. The fact that these transformations occur under the backdrop of an uncertain transatlantic relationship makes this investigation all the more pressing. Each chapter in this volume addresses three dimensions of the problem: first, how and why the power status quo that had existed since the end of the Cold War has changed in recent years, as evidenced by Russia’s newly aggressive posturing; second, the extent to which the EU’s power has been enabled or constrained in light of Russia’s actions; and third, the risks entailed in Europe’s reactive power—that is, the tendency to act after-the-fact instead of proactively toward Russia—in light of the transatlantic divide under Trump.


Book Synopsis European-Russian Power Relations in Turbulent Times by : Mai'a Cross

Download or read book European-Russian Power Relations in Turbulent Times written by Mai'a Cross and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2021-04-13 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Russia-Europe relationship is deteriorating, signaling the darkest era yet in security on the continent since the end of the Cold War. In addition, the growing influence of the Trump administration has destabilized the transatlantic security community, compelling Europe—especially the European Union—to rethink its relations with Russia. The volume editors’ primary goal is to illuminate the nature of the deteriorating security relationship between Europe and Russia, and the key implications for its future. While the book is timely, the editors and contributors also draw out long-term lessons from this era of diplomatic degeneration to show how increasing cooperation between two regions can devolve into rapidly escalating conflict. While it is possible that the relationship between Russia and Europe can ultimately be restored, it is also necessary to understand why it was undermined in the first place. The fact that these transformations occur under the backdrop of an uncertain transatlantic relationship makes this investigation all the more pressing. Each chapter in this volume addresses three dimensions of the problem: first, how and why the power status quo that had existed since the end of the Cold War has changed in recent years, as evidenced by Russia’s newly aggressive posturing; second, the extent to which the EU’s power has been enabled or constrained in light of Russia’s actions; and third, the risks entailed in Europe’s reactive power—that is, the tendency to act after-the-fact instead of proactively toward Russia—in light of the transatlantic divide under Trump.


The Routledge Handbook of EU-Africa Relations

The Routledge Handbook of EU-Africa Relations

Author: Toni Haastrup

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-12-30

Total Pages: 453

ISBN-13: 135169328X

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This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the changing dynamics in the relationship between the African continent and the EU, provided by leading experts in the field. Structured into five parts, the handbook provides an incisive look at the past, present and potential futures of EU-Africa relations. The cutting-edge chapters cover themes like multilateralism, development assistance, institutions, gender equality and science and technology, among others. Thoroughly researched, this book provides original reflections from a diversity of conceptual and theoretical perspectives, from experts in Africa, Europe and beyond. The handbook thus offers rich and comprehensive analyses of contemporary global politics as manifested in Africa and Europe. The Routledge Handbook of EU-Africa Relations will be an essential reference for scholars, students, researchers, policy makers and practitioners interested and working in a range of fields within the (sub)disciplines of African and EU studies, European politics and international studies. The Routledge Handbook of EU-Africa Relations is part of the mini-series Europe in the World Handbooks examining EU-regional relations and established by Professor Wei Shen.


Book Synopsis The Routledge Handbook of EU-Africa Relations by : Toni Haastrup

Download or read book The Routledge Handbook of EU-Africa Relations written by Toni Haastrup and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-12-30 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the changing dynamics in the relationship between the African continent and the EU, provided by leading experts in the field. Structured into five parts, the handbook provides an incisive look at the past, present and potential futures of EU-Africa relations. The cutting-edge chapters cover themes like multilateralism, development assistance, institutions, gender equality and science and technology, among others. Thoroughly researched, this book provides original reflections from a diversity of conceptual and theoretical perspectives, from experts in Africa, Europe and beyond. The handbook thus offers rich and comprehensive analyses of contemporary global politics as manifested in Africa and Europe. The Routledge Handbook of EU-Africa Relations will be an essential reference for scholars, students, researchers, policy makers and practitioners interested and working in a range of fields within the (sub)disciplines of African and EU studies, European politics and international studies. The Routledge Handbook of EU-Africa Relations is part of the mini-series Europe in the World Handbooks examining EU-regional relations and established by Professor Wei Shen.


The Politics of Insecurity

The Politics of Insecurity

Author: Jef Huysmans

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-09-27

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1134234473

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The act of violence of 9/11 changed the global security agenda, catapulting terrorism to the top of the agenda. Weapons of mass destruction grabbed public interest and controlling the free movement of people became a national security priority. In this volume, Jef Huysmans critically engages with theoretical developments in international relations and security studies to develop a conceptual framework for studying security. He argues that security policies and responses do not appear out of the blue, but are part of a continuous and gradual process, pre-structured by previous developments. He examines this process of securitization and explores how an issue, on the basis of the distribution and administration of fear, becomes a security policy. Huysmans then applies this theory to provide a detailed analysis of migration, asylum and refuge in the European Union. This theoretically sophisticated, yet accessible volume, makes an important contribution to the study of security, migration and European politics.


Book Synopsis The Politics of Insecurity by : Jef Huysmans

Download or read book The Politics of Insecurity written by Jef Huysmans and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-09-27 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The act of violence of 9/11 changed the global security agenda, catapulting terrorism to the top of the agenda. Weapons of mass destruction grabbed public interest and controlling the free movement of people became a national security priority. In this volume, Jef Huysmans critically engages with theoretical developments in international relations and security studies to develop a conceptual framework for studying security. He argues that security policies and responses do not appear out of the blue, but are part of a continuous and gradual process, pre-structured by previous developments. He examines this process of securitization and explores how an issue, on the basis of the distribution and administration of fear, becomes a security policy. Huysmans then applies this theory to provide a detailed analysis of migration, asylum and refuge in the European Union. This theoretically sophisticated, yet accessible volume, makes an important contribution to the study of security, migration and European politics.


Secular Power Europe and Islam

Secular Power Europe and Islam

Author: Sarah Wolff

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2021-06-08

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 0472132539

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Reconsidering the European Union's secular identity


Book Synopsis Secular Power Europe and Islam by : Sarah Wolff

Download or read book Secular Power Europe and Islam written by Sarah Wolff and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reconsidering the European Union's secular identity


Fear and Uncertainty in Europe

Fear and Uncertainty in Europe

Author: Roberto Belloni

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-08-02

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 3319919652

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Russia’s intervention in the Ukraine, Donald Trump’s presidency and instability in the Middle East are just a few of the factors that have brought an end to the immediate post-Cold War belief that a new international order was emerging: one where fear and uncertainty gave way to a thick normative and institutional architecture that diminished the importance of material power. This has raised questions about the instruments we use to understand order in Europe and in international relations. The chapters in this book aim to assess whether foreign policy actors in Europe understand the international system and behave as realists. They ask what drives their behaviour, how they construct material capabilities and to what extent they see material power as the means to ensure survival. They contribute to a critical assessment of realism as a way to understand both Europe’s current predicament and the contemporary international system.


Book Synopsis Fear and Uncertainty in Europe by : Roberto Belloni

Download or read book Fear and Uncertainty in Europe written by Roberto Belloni and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-08-02 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Russia’s intervention in the Ukraine, Donald Trump’s presidency and instability in the Middle East are just a few of the factors that have brought an end to the immediate post-Cold War belief that a new international order was emerging: one where fear and uncertainty gave way to a thick normative and institutional architecture that diminished the importance of material power. This has raised questions about the instruments we use to understand order in Europe and in international relations. The chapters in this book aim to assess whether foreign policy actors in Europe understand the international system and behave as realists. They ask what drives their behaviour, how they construct material capabilities and to what extent they see material power as the means to ensure survival. They contribute to a critical assessment of realism as a way to understand both Europe’s current predicament and the contemporary international system.