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The Political Analysis Of European Integration

Posted on:2005-02-07Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:R JinFull Text:PDF
GTID:1116360125467256Subject:International relations
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
This thesis consists of three parts altogether. In the first part (includingChapter 1 and Chapter 2), explorations are made to discuss the behaviorsstates make in the international system. Firstly, key concepts of nationalinterests and national goals are introduced in Chapter 1, arguing that allexternal behaviors states exert are to realize national interests and to pursuesome goals under certain circumstances. But states do not always seeknational goals on their own, they may create cooperation with those statesthat have similar interests and goals, if the perceived benefits of it outweighthe costs and the costs are politically sustainable. As for the type adopted forcooperation, it is chosen according to the specified goals to be achieved inthe certain international surrounding. In Chapter 2, international integrationis compared with traditional types of forging alignments and the creation ofinternational organizations to explain the particularities of the regionalintegration type of cooperation. It also surveys three ends Europeancountries pursued by way of integration, specifically they are: withstandingthe outside threats, keep internal peace and forging cooperative-hegemonicsystem favoring the larger states in the region. The second part of the thesis includes the following four chapters. InChapter 3, international politics of integration in the post-war Europeanhistory is surveyed briefly, to examine the motivation of its member statesfor integration and to find out the basic substance of this new kind ofcooperation. It argues that when the traditional big states regardedthemselves as predominant powers and occupants of the central position in ivthe world political and economical system, no real intimate cooperation likeintegration could be created. And after the Second World War, they at lastrealized that they had been exceeded and marginalized by the outside powers,they came together and invented such a new kind of cooperation. The following three chapters discuss the integration strategies of threebig countries, they are France, Germany and Britain. Although the same fatecombined them, they still possess their own differently favored goals andnational interests, and devote themselves in the construction of new Europe,with the preferences given to those areas which meet their own nationalinterests mostly. Again, it explains that striving for fame and wealth isinevitable even in such close cooperation. The last two chapters are the third component part of the thesis. InChapter 7, it demonstrates that an asymmetrical cooperative hegemonicstructure has been produced within the European integration system. Theanalysis of the creation of Economic and Monetary Union and the setting ofthe Common Foreign and Security Policy shows that they are the productionof compromises made between France and Germany, occasionally joined byBritain. The last chapter is to verify to what extent the integrated Europe hasrealized their purpose of becoming one polarized power, in the multi-polarizing world system. Apparently, Europe has become a powercomparable to the United States in the fields of economy, trade andmonetary system and even has surpassed the U.S.A. in some aspects, andEuro particularly has made the European power tangible throughout theworld. But, as an aggregation of different nation states, the European Unionmanifests itself inflexible, especially in its Common Foreign and Securitypolicy. However, the European countries transcend the traditional military vand security domain, and instead, pursue the dominant position in the fieldsof economy, culture and institution construction.
Keywords/Search Tags:national interests, integration, cooperative-hegemony
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