In less unusual times, the European Union’s Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy would have been received as merely the latest iteration of the main tenets and ambitions of EU external... Show moreIn less unusual times, the European Union’s Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy would have been received as merely the latest iteration of the main tenets and ambitions of EU external action – this time with an enhanced dose of pragmatism to respond to a more challenging international environment. However, with ‘Brexit’ looming large and one and a half years into the Trump Presidency in the United States, the Global Strategy has acquired a new level of significance. This article argues that while meant to express a largely uncontroversial ‘Western’ consensus, it now needs to be re-contextualized as a distinctive vision in the face of trends of antiglobalism and Euroscepticism. This concerns in particular the Strategy’s emphasis on rules-based global governance. Challenged by both President Trump’s ‘America First’ policy and the British government’s course for a ‘hard Brexit’, the Global Strategy now represents a contested blueprint and rallying point for a continued pursuit of a liberal world order based on the rule of law. Show less
On 8 and 9 December 2015, The Hague Institute for Global Justice, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, organized both a public high-level discussion and a... Show moreOn 8 and 9 December 2015, The Hague Institute for Global Justice, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, organized both a public high-level discussion and a closed expert consultation on the EU’s forthcoming Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy. The events focused on how the Union and its Member States can promote a rules-based international system and effective multilateral institutions in a rapidly changing environment marked by numerous crises and challenges. The high-level discussion on the morning of 8 December featured keynote addresses from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Bert Koenders, and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. The high-level discussion also served as a prelude to the subsequent expert consultation, which was carried out according to the following methodology. The participants in the consultation were selected from among leading experts in EU foreign policy, global governance, European and international law, and multilateral diplomacy. Reflecting a diverse and representative set of stakeholders and professional perspectives, the experts came from think tanks, academia, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector. Particular attention was paid to ensuring gender balance and including external perspectives from emerging powers and key partners of the EU, such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and Nigeria. In the course of several breakout sessions and plenary discussions, the participants elaborated on the themes of: the EU’s role in developing the international legal order, promoting effective multilateral institutions, and engaging non-state actors in tackling the most pressing global challenges (see Annex I for the program). The expert consultation, held under the Chatham House Rule, was preceded by an e-consultation, which ran from mid-November and included a wider circle of experienced international specialists, as well as younger, emerging experts and youth representatives from diverse disciplines and professions (see Annex II for the summary of the econsultation). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, working together with a number of like-minded Member States, such as Romania and Austria, can draw on the output of the high-level discussion and the expert consultation to contribute to the discussion on the new EU Global Strategy. Show less
