Abstract:
Is Europe about to rise as a full political actor on the world stage? Conventional
wisdom had it that European integration in foreign policy, security and defence was
unlikely to amount to much very quickly. More recently, however, a diverse group of
scholars has argued that pan-European political actorhood had gained considerable
substance. Surveying the recent literature, pertinent related writings and relevant
primary materials on the matter, this article identifies and systematizes the many
different factors affecting European high-politics actorhood in the early 21st century.
A fully grown international actor Europe, it finds, remains a longer-term project
rather than an imminent prospect.