The EU's response to major shifts in US foreign policy in the last decade

Abstract

This dissertation discusses the European reaction to changes in priority of US foreign policy. The main premise behind this study is the fact that as the world-order realigns with the rise of China and the end of American hegemony, the EU and its Member States must adapt out of necessity. This study brings out how essential and influential the transatlantic relationship is in the psyche of European policy makers when determining policy in fundamental areas such as relations with other third countries and security and defence. Through desk-based qualitative research, this dissertation evaluates how and why the foreign policy priorities of the United States are changing. This then leads to an investigation on the effects of these changes on the transatlantic relationship and how the EU is reacting to these changes in its policy towards China. By splitting the objective of this study into different segments, this dissertation presents a broad overview of the dynamics between the different actors considered and the interconnected nature of decision-making in a globalised world. The emergence of a bipolar world and the American disengagement from the European theatre in light of its ‘pivot to Asia’ has set-off Europe’s long walk towards strategic autonomy in security and defence. This in itself has profound implications on the make-up of European security that has traditionally been the purview of NATO. This search for sovereignty is in itself an assertion of the EU’s aspiration to not be subject to the whims of Washington and Beijing.