Böcker i Europe and the World-serien

This book uniquely presents the evolution of EU-New Zealand relations as presented in high-level speeches by both EU and New Zealand political leaders since the start of the millennium. It examines a changing EU context that ranges from the days of Euro-optimism, reflected by the 2004 enlargement, to self-reflection as a consequence of crisis.

The book draws on some of the scholarship in perception studies and ';Normative Power Europe' theory. The study of perceptions, although dating back to the mid-1970s, is gaining renewed currency in recent years both in international relations, in general, and in European Union studies, in particular. And yet, despite the significance of external perceptions of the European Union, there is still a lack of theoretical forays into this area as well as an absence of empirical investigations of actual external role conceptions. These lacunae in scholarly work are significant, since how the European Union is perceived outside its borders, and what factors shape these perceptions, are crucial for deepening the theory of ';Normative Power Europe.' The book analyzes Israeli perceptions towards ';Normative Power Europe,' the European Union, and NATO through five themes that, the book argues, underscore different dimensions of key Israeli conceptions of ';Normative Power Europe' and NATO. The book seeks to contribute to the existing research on the European Union's role as a ';normative power,' the Union's external representations, and on Israeli-European Union relations more broadly.

This book deconstructs the EU's representation as "an ideal power" in world politics through an analysis of its policy on the Southern Mediterranean before and after the Arab uprisings. It displays how the EU's "ideal" identity is reproduced vis-a-vis its Arab other, especially after the uprisings.

This first-of-its-kind edited collection examines the role that Jewish history, values, and individuals played in inspiring and promoting the European integration process.