European and Global Politics: Populism, Hegemony, and Strategic Culture

Populism

A political phenomenon associated with the rise of populist, anti-EU parties and conservative and nationalist movements across Europe.

Interdependence

A defining characteristic of the contemporary international system, where rising economic interdependence means that the realization of a state's objectives depends more on the actions of other states.

Hegemony

Refers to dominance or overarching power, often used in relation to the United States and Germany.

Grand Strategy

A high-level approach or plan for foreign policy.

Balance of Power

Refers to the organizing principle of international order where states track power dynamics.

Democratic Peace

A theory or conviction, deeply entrenched in EU foreign policy, that democratic states are inherently more stable and resilient compared to other political regimes.

Strategic Culture

The distinct way in which nations conduct foreign policy.

The 2015 Refugee Crisis

A crisis stemming from waves of migrants, largely from Syria and the Middle East, that hit the EU.

Populist radical Right

A political faction exemplified by parties like the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) that gained success in Europe.

Populist politization of foreign policy

The formulation of foreign policy based on domestic political interests.

Regional normative hegemony

The term used to describe the EU's influence.

Germany's interdependence policy

Germany previously relied on interdependence through energy and business ties as a long-term policy toward Russia.

EU's perception of interdependence

The EU perceives enhanced interdependence as a means to promote stability, security, and sustainable development.

France's grand strategy

President Macron has presented a framework for France's grand strategy, necessitating the definition of objectives and red lines.

Germany's National Security Strategy

Germany aimed to formulate its first-ever formal National Security Strategy in 2022.

Middle East Balance of Power

The regional Balance of Power in the Middle East is relevant to Russian policy.

Democratization

The expectation that, in the long term, democratization will result in increased stability and security.

European strategic culture

Described as emphasizing negotiation, diplomacy, commercial ties, international law over the use of force, seduction over coercion, and multilateralism over unilateralism.

Machtpolitik

The older culture of power politics that European strategic culture is evolving away from.

Right-wing populist political parties

Political parties that rose throughout Europe as a result of the 2015 Refugee Crisis.

European Agenda on Migration

A proposal presented by the European Commission in May 2015 to address migration issues.

Great Recession (2008)

An economic downturn that followed the US financial crisis and tested the EU.

euro-zone crisis

A crisis that began in March 2008 when Greece was found to have falsified its economic statistics.

European Economic Community (EEC)

An organization established by the Treaties of Rome in 1957 to promote an 'ever closer union' among European peoples.

European Atomic Energy Agency (Euratom)

An agency established alongside the EEC by the Treaties of Rome in 1957.

The Marshall Plan

Also known as the European Recovery Program, it provided aid from the US to sixteen European states post-World War II.

Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC)

An organization founded in April 1948 by states receiving aid from the Marshall Plan.

Wars of the former Yugoslavia

Conflicts from 1991 to 1995 that exposed weaknesses in the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

Dayton Peace Accords

An agreement that led to NATO's first peacekeeping operation in the former Yugoslavia in December 1995.

The Orange Revolution

A political event in Ukraine that was part of the Color Revolution protests.

General Charles de Gaulle

The former President of France known for his skepticism towards the European Community and NATO.

Gaullism

Charles de Gaulle's political philosophy that viewed America's Cold War approach as confrontational.

2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest

A summit where the Bush administration sought a Membership Action Plan for Georgia and Ukraine.

Color Revolutions

Protests in post-Soviet countries named for symbolic colors that challenged Russia's influence.

The Near Abroad

A term referring to the post-Soviet states surrounding Russia, where Russia maintains significant influence.

Crimea

The Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in February 2014, leading to international sanctions.

Margaret Thatcher

A former UK Prime Minister who oversaw the rise of Thatcherism, a political and economic ideology.

Thatcherism

A political and economic ideology associated with Margaret Thatcher.

Neoliberalism

The sources reference neoliberal globalization in the context of political divisions and economic crises.

The International Liberal Order

The global system, sometimes called the liberal international order, built by the United States around rules, institutions, and partnerships that provide security and economic public goods.

Open markets

a fundamental principle of liberal economic organization and as a key feature of the European integration project and the post-war international order

Security alliances

A characteristic of the International Liberal Order.

Multilateral cooperation

an approach to international relations that involves coordinated action, shared decision-making, and often relies on institutional frameworks among multiple states

Democratic community

A characteristic of the International Liberal Order.

Transatlantic partnership

One of the pillars of the International Liberal Order.

Donbas Region

The eastern provinces of Ukraine where a proxy war broke out between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists in 2014.

Minsk II cease-fire agreement

Designed to end the war in the Donbas.

Normandy format

Created to advance the resolution of the war in the Donbas.

Donald Tusk

A former European Council President who was previously a Solidarity activist, cofounder of the Liberal-Democratic Congress (KLD) and Civic Platform (PO), and Prime Minister of Poland.

Konrad Adenauer

The leader of the West German government after WWII who was responsible for the integration of West Germany into the western alliance and economic bloc.

Social Democracy

A political ideology exemplified by the Scandinavian model.

Scandinavian model

An example of Social Democracy.

Viktor Orbaan

The Prime Minister of Hungary, cited as a leader who grew more pro-Moscow and authoritarian domestically after the Ukraine crisis.

France en Marche

The political movement founded by Emmanuel Macron, formally known as La République en Marche (LREM), which later became Renaissance!.

Dirigisme

A French term referring to state-directed economic management, characterized by the nationalization of industries and state planning.

École Nationale d'Administration (ENA)

One of the elite French Grandes Écoles that trains the country's senior civil servants.

Emmanuel Macron

The current French President who won the presidential election in May 2017, promoting liberalism and multilateralism.

European Political Community

Proposed by Emmanuel Macron to link 44 countries.

The Eurasian Union

Referred to as the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), created by Russia under Putin to pursue the economic and political integration of its neighbors in Eurasia.

Nigel Farage

A key personality in the Brexit movement and was associated with the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

Reform UK

The successor to the Brexit Party.

The 1957 Treaties of Rome

Established the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Agency (Euratom).

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last leader of the USSR who ushered in an era of liberalization and reform and encouraged greater ethnic self-determination in the USSR.

Marine Le Pen

The leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party in France and a major political figure and main contender for the French presidential election in 2027.

The US-UK Special Relationship

A bilateral political and security connection between the United States and the United Kingdom that grew out of WWII.

Franco-German Partnership

A relationship considered essential for European stability, with Germany and France as historical, economic, and political partners.

German-Franco deal

The basis for Germany's approval of the Next Generation EU fund, following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Catalan Secessionism

The political movement associated with Catalonia in Spain, resulting from the push for independence during the Great Recession.

German Ordoliberalismus and the Social Market

The social-market economy that was the foundation for Germany's sustained post-WWII success, underpinned by a broad ideological consensus.

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)

An institutional architecture that relied on ordoliberal principles prioritizing price stability and fiscal rectitude.

Beppe Grillo

The founder of the Five-Star movement (M5S) in Italy, a key force in the country's antiestablishment populism.

Five-Star movement (M5S)

A movement in Italy that began as a web-based, anti-political-class phenomenon.

Ethnic Russian diaspora

Refers to the roughly 22 million Russians living outside the Russian Federation following the collapse of the USSR.

World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad

An organization that Russia uses to expand its influence toward the ethnic Russian diaspora.

Siloviki (strong men)

A Russian term for those who came from the silovye struktur ('power structures'), including military, police, and intelligence services.

Poland's Law and Justice Party

The Law and Justice (PiS) party in Poland, co-founded by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, described as decidedly anti-Russian.

Boris Yeltsin

The first president of Russia (1991-1999) after the Soviet collapse, characterized by chaos and economic turmoil.

Kosovo War

A military intervention launched by NATO against Serbia in March 1999 to stop ethnic cleansing. It was considered a turning point and demonstrated NATO's ability to operate outside its territorial limits.

Chechnya

A region where Russia fought two bloody wars and defeated a separatist movement on its own territory.

Georgia Melloni

The Prime Minister of Italy. Her political approach is described as 'pragmatic radicalism'. She leads the Brothers of Italy (FdI) party.

The alliance dilemma - entanglement/abandonment

A set of conflicting fears within alliances. Entanglement refers to the fear that partners are a 'booby trap' or a 'ruse to tie America down' in conflicts against its will. Abandonment refers to the fear that the dominant partner (the US) will not commit fully to defense.

NATO 'Out of Area' Missions

Military operations undertaken by NATO outside its traditional territorial boundaries. Germany was reluctant to participate in these missions, which began in the Balkans and later included Afghanistan.

the Mezzogiorno

The Italian name for the South of Italy (below Rome). Historically characterized by economic underdevelopment, political alienation, and high rates of organized crime.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski

Cofounder and leader of Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party. He previously served as Prime Minister and is considered the guide behind the PiS government's domestic crackdown.

The 2008 Georgian War

A conflict involving Russia's direct military aggression against Georgia. France brokered a ceasefire known as the Six-Points Plan. Russia recognized the independence of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia following the war.

The Treaty of Maastricht

Also known as the Treaty on European Union (TEU), signed in 1992. It marked the bonding of European nations into a single political and economic unit, launching new policies and reforms.

Washington's Farewell Address

A historical document dating back to 1796 in which national insecurity formed the core of its content.

Isolationism

A policy position that the sources reference when noting that Scandinavian countries are not isolationists, as they understand their fates are tied to continent-wide and global developments.

'Frozen' Conflicts

Regional conflicts in Eurasia where Russia uses economic or military pressure against neighboring states seeking to exit its influence and integration.

NATO Expansion

The enlargement of NATO to include former Warsaw Pact nations, consolidating the Cold War victory and helping keep Europe at the forefront of strategic discussion.

France 'Strategic Autonomy'

France's goal to achieve greater autonomy in security affairs and build an efficient European defense capability.

Alternative for Germany (AfD)

The far-right, anti-migrant party in Germany that gained significant electoral success in the 2017 elections.