The European Union: Object or Subject in International Relations: DOI: http://dx.doi.org.10.18847/1.20.3

Abstract

The end of the Cold War marked the beginning of a unipolar world order in which the United States championed a liberal vision of international relations. This narrative was not only deeply embedded in the collective imagination but also profoundly shaped the formulation of foreign policies in Western countries, the development of the European project, and its predominance within the academic sphere. However, the expansion of the "liberal hegemony" has fallen short of the expectations of its proponents: neither has the end of history been realized, nor do we live in perpetual peace, nor has power ceased to matter to the principal actors on the international stage—the states. This article examines the impact of shifts in the distribution of power among states on the role of the European Union in the international arena, contextualized within the broader transition from a unipolar to a multipolar world order.