The European Union's Normative Power in Planetary Politics

The project is for sabbatical at the University of Bristol during 2025 to complete my research book on the European Union's (EU) Normative Power in Planetary Politics.

The research book analyses the EU relations with the rest of the planet through from the end of the Cold War in 1990 until the end of the sabbatical in 2025.

The focus is on five areas of EU relations: economic (trade and development), social (human rights and equality), ecological (sustainable development and combatting climate change), conflict (sustainable peace and rule of law), and political (democracy and good governance).

The book studies these five areas of EU relations using the ‘normative power’ approach with its analytical emphasis on empowering actions, in contrast to ‘hard/military power’ of physical coercion or ‘soft/civilian power’ of material incentives.

The research takes a unique approach to studying the EU in planetary politics, instead of international, world, or global politics. Planetary politics are characterised by truly planetary relations of causality that can only be understood and addressed holistically, and which demands an ecocentric and deeply interdependent approach to analysis.

The sabbatical enables me to work in the international environment of the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies at the University of Bristol with professors Juncos, Guerrina, Siles-Brügge, and Cini, as well as Drs. Peoples and Pérez-Solórzano Borragán.