Presentations by Streams

The Russian war against Ukraine is affecting the relations of the European Union (EU) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Whereas, before 2/24, EU member states followed different approaches in their relations with EEU member states - especially with its dominant member Russia - the Russian aggression resulted in unprecedented consensus in EU’s Russia policy. However, fissures in the common European position re-emerged soon. The EEU member states positions are also changing and differ considerably. While Belorussia strongly supports Russia, Kazakhstan is distancing itself from Russia and government and opposition in Armenia disagree over the country’s future course.

Since the social constructivist turn in International Relations (IR), the relevance of norms, ideas and identities in foreign policy have been highlighted. Especially EU foreign and security policy has been analysed in view of role concepts (Kirste/Maull), civilian power (Orbie) and normative power (Manners). In these research approaches the self-perceptions of the EU as well as third parties’ perception of the EU and the EU’s perception of other international actors, which are all rooted in cultural foundations and historical legacies, play an important role.

From this theoretical perspective, the panel aims at analysing the external and the self-perception of EU and EEU member states with regard to their mutual relations. Are these perceptions changing since February 2022? Based on this analysis the main research question is, how far differing self-perceptions as an international actor or different perceptions of the partner/opponent cause contestation over foreign and defence policy (on the internal level) or in external relations between the EU and the EEU (on the international level).
The panel invites papers from different disciplines analysing the EU’s and the EEU’s as well as their respective member states’ self-perception as internal actors and the external perception of the partners/opponents in the relations between the EU and the EEU. In addition to such descriptive analyses, the panel also invites papers analysing the relevance of perceptions of the EEU’s and the EU’s external relations since 2/24 or in the past.