Trine Flockhart | University of Southern Denmark (original) (raw)
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University of the Basque Country, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
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Papers by Trine Flockhart
Contemporary Security Policy
Contemporary Security Policy
Politics Trove
This chapter examines the basic assumptions and foreign policy relevance of constructivism. Using... more This chapter examines the basic assumptions and foreign policy relevance of constructivism. Using European security as an illustrative example, it shows that constructivism is a valuable tool not only for understanding foreign policy, but also as a guide for prescribing foreign policy. The chapter first explains what constructivism is, outlining the constructivist view that anarchy exists in different forms with major implications for how agents act. It then considers some of the main propositions and conceptual tools of constructivism, with particular emphasis on its arguments regarding identity, social construction, rules, and practice. It also analyses constructivism’s alternative understandings of NATO’s role after the end of the Cold War and in present-day European security. It asserts that theory is important in foreign policy making — including constructivism — because different theories imply different policies and may make alternative policy options visible which would othe...
International Affairs, 2010
Perspectives on European Politics and Society, 2011
This article questions assumptions characterizing NATO as focused on ‘hard security’ and the EU a... more This article questions assumptions characterizing NATO as focused on ‘hard security’ and the EU as focused on ‘soft security’. By asking how identities and narratives have been constructed in both organizations, subtle differences are brought to light, indicating that changes have taken place in the self-conception and narrative of the two organizations resulting in different conceptions of role and identity.
Contemporary Security Policy
Contemporary Security Policy
Politics Trove
This chapter examines the basic assumptions and foreign policy relevance of constructivism. Using... more This chapter examines the basic assumptions and foreign policy relevance of constructivism. Using European security as an illustrative example, it shows that constructivism is a valuable tool not only for understanding foreign policy, but also as a guide for prescribing foreign policy. The chapter first explains what constructivism is, outlining the constructivist view that anarchy exists in different forms with major implications for how agents act. It then considers some of the main propositions and conceptual tools of constructivism, with particular emphasis on its arguments regarding identity, social construction, rules, and practice. It also analyses constructivism’s alternative understandings of NATO’s role after the end of the Cold War and in present-day European security. It asserts that theory is important in foreign policy making — including constructivism — because different theories imply different policies and may make alternative policy options visible which would othe...
International Affairs, 2010
Perspectives on European Politics and Society, 2011
This article questions assumptions characterizing NATO as focused on ‘hard security’ and the EU a... more This article questions assumptions characterizing NATO as focused on ‘hard security’ and the EU as focused on ‘soft security’. By asking how identities and narratives have been constructed in both organizations, subtle differences are brought to light, indicating that changes have taken place in the self-conception and narrative of the two organizations resulting in different conceptions of role and identity.
The article addresses the question of what kind of global order is in the making. It identifies t... more The article addresses the question of what kind of global order is in the making. It identifies three current narratives about the future global order; a multipolar narrative; a multi--partner narrative and a multi--culture narrative. The article demonstrates that although each narrative point to a plausible future, neither presents a complete understanding of what lies ahead. By using English School concepts such as order, international society, international system and primary and secondary institutions, the article presents an alternative conception of the coming global order by focusing on order--making at the international system level and at the international society level and the emerging relationship between them. It suggests that what seems to be emerging is several different 'orders' (or international societies) nested within an overall international system. In the coming 'multi--order world', the liberal international order will continue to exist, and should even be strengthened in preparation of the coming multi--order world. However, its global reach will be a thing of the past. Therefore policies that prescribe the universalization of liberal values and that emerging powers be co--opted into the existing liberal order engage in wishful thinking, whilst policies prescribing a return to a balance of power politics base their analysis on an incomplete understanding of order-making institutions. The article suggests that the challenge in a multi--order world will be to forge new relationships with the understanding that inter-action will increasingly be between composite and diverse actors in addition to the already complex relationships between states. Policy--makers should take note that the coming multi--order world is a radically different international system, which will require new thinking and the acceptance of diversity in both power and principle.