European Foreign Policy: A Comparison of the Two Theoretic Models

Abstract

The foreign policy of the European Union is usually perceived as being significantly di!erent from the common conception of modern foreign policy of sovereign nation states. In this article we will construct two models of foreign policy and confront them with current EU external relations. Firstly we shall look at the modern foreign policy model based on a neorealist approach. Secondly we shall examine its post-modern alternative that draws its inspiration from the post-structuralism of Jacques Derrida. The comparison is focused on three dimensions: the actor representing the foreign policy; his primary goal; and the key principles invoked in interactions with other actors. We conclude that the EU foreign policy cannot be sufficiently explained by neither of the two models. The large gap between the two models could probably be filled by the third, liberal model of foreign policy.