CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Betchvaia, Miranda |
|---|---|
| Title | European Union's Geopolitical Turn to Soft Power: Exploring EU's Recent Public Diplomacy Efforts in Eastern Partnership Context |
| Summary | The thesis examines how the European Union attempts to fulfil its public diplomacy goals in the Eastern Partnership Region. Applying Nye’s soft power framework and public diplomacy key concepts, the contribution analyses the case of the Young European Ambassadors initiative, the key pillar of the EU’s most extensive communication campaign ever developed for the Eastern Partnership countries. Based on the YEAs case, the given thesis argues that, since 2015, as a result of the EU’s ‘’geopolitical turn’’, it strives to deliver more sophisticated public diplomacy efforts using local intermediaries and youth networks in the EU and the EaP. Public diplomacy results in more soft power (a state’s ability to co-opt or attract). Therefore, in the absence of tangible sticks and carrots in the EaP states, where the membership perspective has never been offered, the EU attempts to seduce the public with its foreign policy goals in the current geopolitical order. Broadly, this contribution supports the idea that perceptions of foreign publics are crucial in determining state behaviour and outcomes in international relations. The argument is supported by the data gathered from the interviews and content analysis of the relevant literature, EU communications, policies, and social media platforms. |
| Supervisor | Mihaly Fazekas |
| Department | Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/betchvaia_miranda.pdf |
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