Constructivist View of European Foreign Policy: a Spanish Case Study

Constructivist View of European Foreign Policy: A Spanish Case Study by Sebastian Cray A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in European, Russian and Eurasian Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2012 Sebastian Cray Library and Archives Bibliotheque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du 1+1 Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-93578-1 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-93578-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. Canada Abstract This study examines the role that socialization plays in shaping foreign policy of states. A focal question is how membership in an integrated international organization can shape the interests and perceptions of member states through sustained contact with other member states and institutions of the organization. Drawing on interviews with foreign affairs officials and policy documents, three Spanish policies are examined to determine how changes in perception can alter the foreign policy practices of a member state in the European Union. Additionally, this study uses these cases to draw conclusions about the existence of a European foreign policy and the various methods supranational policy formation. The analysis indicates socialization alters the perceptions of foreign policy objectives in member states, which leads to altered practices. Further, the analysis shows an emerging European foreign policy constructed by the member states and implemented at the supranational level. I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the support and guidance of a number of people. First to my advisor Joan DeBardeleben, whose careful guidance and direction helped shape the project from an overly grand idea into a workable paper. Her patience and dedication made this thesis what it is. Also, to Mara whose tolerance for constant fluctuation between excitement, despair and frustration was matched only by her willingness to do whatever she could to make this process easier. She was always convinced I would finish, even when I was not. It turns out she was right after all. To my parents who provided, emotional, financial, academic and culinary support throughout this process and who managed to restrain themselves to the best of their ability from getting too involved. Also for appreciating when someone needed them. To my friends, particular MM, and the other EURUS students, who put up with all the ups and downs of this process and provided editing support. 1 look forward to being a real person again. To the diplomats who agreed to be interviewed, particularly Ignacio Sanchez de Lerin Garica-Ovies, without whom this thesis would have been a great deal shorter. Finally to the MBRFC for making Madrid such a great experience and to KG and JP for helping fill this long hours. II TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT_________________________________________________________________________I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS____________________________________________________________ H TABLE OF CONTENTS_____________________________________________________________ IH INTRODUCTION___________________________________________________________________ 1 CHAPTER 1: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY________________________________________ 12 CHAPTER 2: THE BARCELONA PROCESS___________________________________________ 33 Spain and the Maghreb 34 I n it ia l St a g e s o f E u r o p e a n U n io n a n d t h e M editerranean N egotiations 39 T oward a Com m unal Approach 44 T owards a Global M editerranean Policy 50 CHAPTER 3; THE EASTERN ENLARGEMENT________________________________________ §2 B rakemen and D rivers 65 Acting as the Honest B roker 71 Concluding the Enlargement 74 CHAPTER 4: CUBA AND THE COCKTAIL WARS _____________________________________ 8Q Establishing t h e c o m m o n po sitio n 81 T he Cocktails W ars 85 I n M o dern T im es 89 CHAPTER 5; CONCLUSION_________________________________________________________97 BIBLOGRAPHY__________________________________________________________________108 I nterviews 113 in Introduction Recent years have seen the international arena marked by changes brought on by the rise of international organizations. This has caused a rethinking by those International Relations theorists who based their assumptions on state-centric, rationalist approaches, as more and more states become members of a variety of international organizations. The most prominent of these, and the organization that appears to go against rationalist conventions, is the European Union. The construction of a supranational institution that has projected stability and growth with the ongoing consent of its member states has called into question many of the basic tenets of the most prominent International Relations theories, particularly ideas of sovereignty and states' interests. In place of these theories, the study of the European Union has engendered new theories to explain the interactions amongst countries that have led to the formation of the European Union in its current iteration. These theories often focus on how the European Union continues to gather more competencies and expand its sphere of influence, despite constantly infringing on member states’ sovereignty. The research question of this study is to what degree membership in an international organization can change a state's perception of the international arena. The project uses Spain's membership in the European Union as an example of this process and explores the utility of a constructivist perspective to explain these changes. Specifically, foreign policy is examined to determine how institutional socialization has altered Spanish perceptions and practices. Three cases are examined to determine how Spanish behavior in the international arena has altered. The analysis was informed by data from interviews with Spanish foreign affairs officials who contributed their understanding of the factors and perceptions that informed these policy decisions. This study also examines how European policy is formed, and what factors lead to the emergence of a European policy. In each of the cases selected the Spanish behavior provides insight into the process of forming a European level international policy and how the socialization process can lead to the policies of the member being expressed through the European Union. Further, it highlights how the top-down and bottom-up approaches have different outcomes for policy creation in the European Union. The hypothesis of this study there is socialization has a demonstrable effect on Spanish foreign policy. Membership in the European Union will have changed the way in which Spain generates interests and practices foreign policy, with a greater awareness of community objectives and stronger focus on normative ideals as a basis for interaction with other states. It is hypothesized that there will be a difference between Spanish policy prior to its accession and its current manifestations caused by immersion in the strong institutional context of the European Union. Further, it is expected that greater involvement from other member states will cause greater convergence of policies between Spain and the rest of the European Union. This convergence will reflect an emerging European foreign policy that is generated through member state initiatives and the 2 socialization of those states, rather than a top-down legal approach to foreign policy construction. Whereas current theories of EU-member state relations, such as Neofunctionalism and Liberal Intergovernmentalism, concern themselves primarily with the causes of a member state’s willingness to cede sovereignty to the EU, whether as a measure of negotiation or the result of spillover effects, the comparatively recent emergence of Institutional Socialization

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