CFSP in the light of the ¡¥pendulum theory¡¦
This article evaluates the applicability of the theoretical framework, suggested by Helen Wallace, for the examination of EU policies. In particular, we will first try to identify the elements that Wallace implies in her ¡¥pendulum model¡¦ in the specific field of Common Foreign and Security Policy; second, we will illustrate whether recent developments of CFSP, since the year 2000 (when the book was published) have further reinforced the assumptions made by the author; and finally we will conclude on the explicability relevance of the ¡¥policy pendulum¡¦ regarding the policy-making process of CFSP.
Wallace argues that: ¡§cooperation is often a means to manage differences, rather than an instrument of convergence. It is this combination that brings much of the dynamic to policy-making across borders in Western Europe, a dynamic that can intensify cooperation, but which also can interrupt it¡¨ . To characterize the policy-making process of the EU, the same author introduces the metaphor of a pendulum. Accordingly, the policy pendulum swings between the member-states¡¦ areas of national politics and interests, and the European pole. The relative gravity of these poles varies across the particular policy domains, attracting some forces to locate the policy-making process either on national or on EU level, while other policy areas let the pendulum sway in uncertainty. However, this metaphor may probably illustrate the different intentions on EU and member-states level, which shape the initial policy-making process throughout the particular EU bodies and institutions. Moreover, it implies that policy process in the EU is not a straight line; rather it is defined by a sense of movement, containing variations over time and between countries.
The above assumption is clearly verified in the case of CFSP, where variations of both types have characterized its evolution. Accordingly, after the collapse of... [continues]
This article evaluates the applicability of the theoretical framework, suggested by Helen Wallace, for the examination of EU policies. In particular, we will first try to identify the elements that Wallace implies in her ¡¥pendulum model¡¦ in the specific field of Common Foreign and Security Policy; second, we will illustrate whether recent developments of CFSP, since the year 2000 (when the book was published) have further reinforced the assumptions made by the author; and finally we will conclude on the explicability relevance of the ¡¥policy pendulum¡¦ regarding the policy-making process of CFSP.
Wallace argues that: ¡§cooperation is often a means to manage differences, rather than an instrument of convergence. It is this combination that brings much of the dynamic to policy-making across borders in Western Europe, a dynamic that can intensify cooperation, but which also can interrupt it¡¨ . To characterize the policy-making process of the EU, the same author introduces the metaphor of a pendulum. Accordingly, the policy pendulum swings between the member-states¡¦ areas of national politics and interests, and the European pole. The relative gravity of these poles varies across the particular policy domains, attracting some forces to locate the policy-making process either on national or on EU level, while other policy areas let the pendulum sway in uncertainty. However, this metaphor may probably illustrate the different intentions on EU and member-states level, which shape the initial policy-making process throughout the particular EU bodies and institutions. Moreover, it implies that policy process in the EU is not a straight line; rather it is defined by a sense of movement, containing variations over time and between countries.
The above assumption is clearly verified in the case of CFSP, where variations of both types have characterized its evolution. Accordingly, after the collapse of... [continues]
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"Cfsp in the Light of the ¡¥Pendulum Theory¡¦." StudyMode.com. 06, 2006. Accessed 06, 2006. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Cfsp-Light-Pendulum-Theory-90577.html.
